A Love Meant to be
by Tobi'sgoodgirllovesSasuSaku
Summary: I know, the title and summary suck, but still. When Sasuke leaves the village, Sakura is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. But when Sabishii Ko and Shine come to help, Sakura gets more than just Sasuke back. SasuSaku and slight NarutoxOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Kunichiwa people of the Internet! I am Tobi'sgoodgirlloves SasuSaku, or GG for short(good girl, got it?) Alright, so this is like a prologue for my new first ever Fanfic! I'm really sorry it's so incredibly short, but this is to give you a little glimpse as to what I'm doing. I will accept criticism, but if anyone says "This sucks" or that I suck, guess what? YOU PROBABLY DID TOO WHEN YOU WROTE YOUR FIRST FANFIC! SO STFU!! Anyway, on with the story!**

* * *

"_Don't leave me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. He appeared behind her._

"_Sakura." He said._

_She wouldn't turn around, because she knew that the inevitable "good-bye" was coming. So she stayed where she was._

"_Sakura", he repeated, "Thank you for everything."_

_This caught her off guard. Sasuke Uchiha, the boy she loved but whom she believed hated her, had said thank you. The next thing she knew, she heard a dull thud, and fell into total darkness. _

_He caught her and carried her to the bench where they both shared memories. Unfortunately, all of them were bad, and this one was the worst. He laid her down and left, but not before whispering "I will comeback someday"_

* * *

Somewhere Far Away

"Meow?" asked a cat.

"I know Shine, it was stupid of him to do this, but you and I both knew it was inevitable." She got up from her sitting position. "Well, we better get a move on. Konoha is pretty far away."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, hope you enjoyed! Again, sorry for the painfully short chapter. But don't worry, the next one will be much longer. Hopefully, I'll update two chapters per weekend(Unless I have the dreaded writer's block or I'm really busy.) Til' then JAA MATA!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Kunichiwa people who have decided to actually come back! Tis' I GG! For coming back, here's your reward: Chapter 2 of the fanfic! Remember, leave reviews saying how I can improve or how you might actually like this story, BUT NO COMMENTS SAYING THAT THIS SUCKS OR THAT I SUCK!!**

* * *

"Oi, Sakura!" yelled an annoying blonde.

"Huh? Oh, hey Naruto." Sakura replied.

Naruto ran up to her, out of breath.

"What is it?" she asked, concerned.

"Grandma Tsunade just told me to find you as soon as possible." He answered between gasps for air.

"Why? My training for the day is done. Why would she need me?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Actually, she needs us both. She's going to tell us something that might help bring Sasuke home!" Naruto said, excited by the thought of his old teammate being back home.

She froze. It had been 6 months since he left, and she was still picking up the pieces of the broken heart that he had just tossed aside like garbage.

"Well, c'mon Sakura! I can't wait to know this plan of Grandma Tsunade's!" he yelled, acting all hyper as usual.

She sighed. "I'm coming."

* * *

Naruto burst into Tsunade's office.

"HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING?!" yelled Tsunade loudly enough for people in the Land of Snow to know that some moron had burst into her office.

"Sorry, but I just got to know what the plan is!" replied Naruto, just loud enough to annoy every villager in Konoha.

"Hey, who's that girl over there?" asked Sakura, pointing to a girl standing next to Tsunade.

"Huh? Oh yeah, who's she?" asked Naruto, not having noticed her because of his loud behavior.

"Naruto, Sakura, this is the person who will help you find Sasuke."

"I am Sabishii Ko." The girl said. "And this is Shine!" She held up a black cat.

"Meow." Said Shine, almost as if he were greeting them.

They both got a good look at her. Her brown hair came down to the middle of her back, and was tied back in a braid. Her bangs hung on her forehead, just touching the eyebrows of her emerald green eyes. She wore a dark purple tank top with light purple pants. Her cat, Shine, was mostly black, except for the white patches of fur around his left eye, front left and back right paws, and tip of his tail.

"Sorry to sound rude, but how is she going to help us?" asked Sakura.

"I was a really good friend of Sasuke's back when his clan was killed." Sabishii answered.

"Her clan also has powers not of this world." Tsunade added.

"Not of this world? What does that mean?" asked Naruto.

"Oh you know, able to see the future, communicate with the dead, do incredible ninjustu, taijustsu, and genjustsu, and so on. Also, these powers were enhanced when I was with Orochimaru." She said all of this so casually you would have thought she was talking about her weekend instead of what she could do.

"OROCHIMARU?!" yelled both Naruto and Sakura.

"Yes. Apparently he killed her whole clan in order to get to her. She came here, seeking protection. But, when it became clear that he would stop at nothing to have her, she left with him in order to protect the village." Tsunade explained.

"That monster!" Naruto said, clenching his fists, amazed at how far Orochimaru would go to have power.

"But why just her?" asked Sakura. "If her whole clan could do it, why just her?"

"Each generation of the Ko clan gets stronger. So far, she had been the strongest. If he had waited any longer, the clan would have been too strong." Tsunade said.

"So these powers. How much were they enhanced?" Naruto asked, curious.

"Well, I still age, but no matter what, I can't die." She said.

"Really?" asked Naruto

"Yep. But, I'm able to change my age at will. Watch this!" she said. One minute a thirteen year old girl was there, the next a little three year old was.

"Whoa, cool!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Amazing." Sakura whispered.

"Also, because of Orochimaru doing experiments on me while trying to enhance my abilities, I'm half-human, half-spirit, meaning that I have two types of chakra. One is spirit chakra, the other is normal chakra. With these two types, I can pretty much do any types of jutsu without consequence. But, there is a catch." She said, back to her thirteen year old self.

"What's the catch?" asked Sakura.

"If I use my spirit chakra too much, it will consume my normal chakra, which in turn will kill me. However, if I use my normal chakra and act like a normal person, I shall be freed from the spirit chakra, but shall have my abilities returned to normal instead of having them enhanced forever." Sabishii answered.

"So, what you're saying is, you'll still be able to see the future and all, just not as well?" asked Naruto, confused.

"Exactly." Sabishii said.

"Well, I think you know what your mission is. Naruto, Sakura, Sabishii, and Shine, I'm assigning you to go and retrieve Sasuke Uchiha." Tsunade said.

"Hai!" They all said, and then left.

"_They better be ready for whatever he's got."_ Thought Tsunade.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, that's the end of this chapter. Remember, I'll try and update two chapters every weekend.(I actually started writing this before I joined on, so writers, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!) If I don't it's because I'm busy or I have(dun,dun,dun) writer's block! Well, 'till next time JAA MATA!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: HELLO EVERYONE!! So, to start off, I've gotta give a BIG shout-out to my friend AND first reviewer,(drum roll)SAKURA TEN'NYO!!(applause) For being the first reviewer, you get 12,000 DOLLARS!!(just kidding!! XD Like I have that kind of cash) You'll also get a(drum roll again) A COOKIE!!(you already got it. So no more cookies Ten'nyo-san. Only hugs, because your the only one who reviews.)Anyway, on with the story, don't tell me this sucks or that I suck, and well you get the point. Oh yeah, and Shine's name is pronounced SHENA(the a is long, just to let you know)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. To anyone who thought I did, well, let's just say a catscan is in order**

* * *

They traveled through the forest quickly, with Sabishii and Shine in the lead.

"Hey Sabishii." Naruto said.

"Yeah?" asked Sabishii.

"Well, I was wondering, how come you travel with Shine?" he asked.

"Well, Shine's not really a cat." She started.

"Seriously?" asked Naruto, shocked at this information.

"But, if he's not a cat, then what is he?" asked Sakura.

"Shine is actually my guardian spirit." Sabishii said.

"Guardian spirit?" repeated Sakura, confused.

She nodded. "Yep. Since my clan has such close communion to the spirit world, each of us is assigned a spirit at birth who can take whatever form they please. They usually choose a form that they can relate to the most. For example, if a spirit that is assigned is a very loyal and protective spirit, then they would most likely take the form of a dog." She explained.

"But why are you assigned them?" asked Sakura.

"Well, a lot of people wanted the powers of our clan, so the spirits were sent to protect us. As anyone could see, if the Ko clan powers got in the wrong hands, then there would be dire consequences." Sabishii stated.

"I can see why you need them, but how can a little thing like that be good at protecting anything?" asked Naruto, forgetting that Shine was within hearing.

"Meow." Shine said, annoyed by the question of the blonde.

"Naruto, don't say that! I'm sure he's very good in battle, no matter how small he is." Sakura said, trying to make up for Naruto's stupidity. Although, she too wondered how Shine was any good in a battle, considering his size. Unfortunately, Shine could sense her doubt.

"Meow." Shine said, even more annoyed by Sakura's "good intentions".

"Now Shine, don't get mad at them. They just don't know." Said Sabishii, sensing the cat's growing urge to go and scratch both of them beyond recognition. She knew he had a bit of an issue when it came to people questioning his usefulness in battle. She also knew what would make him feel better. "How about we show them just how useful you are?" she asked Shine. Shine grinned an evil little cat grin, knowing exactly what was going to happen next.

"Hey guys!" Sabishii called back to Naruto and Sakura.

"What is it?" asked Sakura

"Well, since you guys aren't sure of how useful Shine is, how about he shows you?" she asked.

"Well alright then! I've just gotta see what that cat can do!" shouted Naruto.

Sabishii smiled slyly. "Oh, don't worry, you will." She said. She and Shine chuckled while Naruto and Sakura looked confused as to what they found so funny.

* * *

**A/N: OH YEAH!! IT"S A CLIFFY!! NOW YOU HAVE TO COME BACK TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS!!**

**Sasuke: No they don't**

**Me: YES THEY DO!! AND WHO LET YOU OUT!?**

**Sasuke: I let myself out. You're not very good with locks you know**

**Me: Well, GO AWAY!! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EVEN HERE YET!!**

**Sasuke: And why not? This is a SASUSaku fic, you know?**

**Me: YEAH, BUT YOU DON'T COME OUT UNTIL LATER!!**

**Sasuke: You call either the next chapter or the one after later?**

**Me: THAT'S IT!!(turns around) HEY GUYS!! HE'S OVER HERE!!**

**  
****Sasuke: Oh crap...**

**Nartuo: SASUKE!! **

**Sasuke: I think I'll leave now.(runs away)**

**Naruto: Which way'd he go?**

**Me: HE WENT THAT WAY!!(points in direction of giant dust cloud)**

**Naruto: ALRIGHT!! COME ON YOU GUYS!!(leaves)**

**Sakura: WAIT UP NARUTO!!(follows after him)**

**Sabishii/Shine: ...poor, poor Sasuke. Hope he doesn't die.(leaves after them)**

**Me: Please ignore everything that he just said. I'm not really sure when he's coming in. Also, please ignore the outrageously long author notes. I was on A LOT OF SUGAR. Well till next time, JAA MATA!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry about having such a short chapter last time. I really didn't pay attention to how much I wrote. But TRUST ME, this one is MUCH LONGER!! Well, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, so many things woudn't make sense. So that's why Kishimoto owns it while I'm stuck here! YAY!!(trust me, it's better this way)**

* * *

They landed in a clearing.

"This looks like as good a place as any." Said Sabishii, surveying the surrounding area. She turned towards Naruto and Sakura, both still confused as to what was going on. "You guys ready to see what Shine can really do?" she asked, hoping that they wouldn't be _too_ shocked at what they were going to see next.

"You bet Sabishii!" announced Naruto, excited about what he was going to see next.

"_I wonder what it is." _Sakura thought.

"Okay then. You ready Shine?" she asked the small cat. Shine nodded. "Alright then. GO!" Shine leapt into the air.

"SHINE-NEKO TRANSFORMATION!" shouted Sabishii. There was a _whoosh_ as black smoke enveloped Shine's body. When he landed, instead of a small, black and white cat, there was a giant black panther with three long white stripes down his back. He roared powerfully, giving them a good look at his saber tooth tiger like teeth.

"S-S-So th-th-that's h-his tr-true f-f-form?" stuttered Naruto, shocked at seeing how such a big animal could come from such a small cat.

She nodded. "Yep."

"Unreal." Sakura whispered, for lack of a better word.

"Please, please, please don't hurt me!" begged Naruto, remembering what he had said about Shine. "I promise I'll never say anything like that again! And I'll always acknowledge how strong you are in battle! Just please don't hurt me!" he continued begging, saying how'd he buy him ramen and everything. Shine looked over at Sabishii, who just smiled and nodded. Shine rolled his eyes and licked Naruto's face affectionately.

"Hey, that tickles!" Naruto said, rubbing the spot where he had been licked. "So, does that mean I'm forgiven?" he asked, looking at Sabishii.

"You're forgiven." She said.

"Thank you Sabishii!" said Naruto, getting up.

"Sure thing. Especially since you promised to take me and Shine out for ramen anytime, and that you would pay for all our bowls." She said, smiling innocently.

"WHAT!? You actually paid attention?" asked Naruto, whose forgiveness ramblings were usually just ignored and never really paid much attention to.

"Of course! Unless, you didn't really mean what you said. In which case..." she trailed off, looking at Shine. Shine growled, still in panther form.

Naruto gulped. "Of course I meant it! I'm always true to my word. Because that's my nindo, my ninja way!" Naruto said, wanting to stay on Sabishii's good side.

She smiled. "Good! Now come on, we better get going." She then took off, with Naruto and Sakura following.

"Oh yeah Sabishii." Naruto said, remembering something.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Well, I've got two questions." He said, still amazed at what he had just seen.

"Fire away." She said, still going at a steady pace.

"Okay then, my first question is what was that you said before Shine changed? And my next is, how are we going to find Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Well, what I said was somewhat similar to what you guys call hand signs." She started.

"Whoa, really?" asked Naruto.

Sabishii nodded. "Yep. When the person that a spirit is protecting wants the spirit to change, then all they have to say is the spirits name and form. For example, let's say a spirit named Koku was in the form of a dog. Then the person would have to say 'Koku-inu transformation' in order for the spirit to change. However, some people have mastered this skill so that all they have to do is think the words instead of saying them out loud."

"Are you one of them?" asked Sakura, who was amazed at how much there was to know about Sabishii and Shine still.

Sabishii nodded. "Sure am. I just said it out loud because I figured you guys would need an explanation about it afterwards."

"Boy, were you right!"Naruto said, scratching his head from having heard all this information.

She smiled. "As for your next question, Naruto, Shine here is going to track Sasuke by using his scent."

"Like a ninja hound?" asked Sakura, who had believed that the scent would be impossible for even the most skilled ninja hound to pick up.

"Not exactly. Shine here tracks something known as a Kechina Scent." Sabishii said.

"What's that?" asked Naruto, confused.

"Well, you know how everyone has some type of challenge in their life that changes them forever?" asked Sabishii. They nodded.

"Well, it leaves a scent that only spirits can track. For example, Sakura, you're Kechina Scent is light and floral, meaning that you faced something that dealt with feelings of love." She stated. Sakura stiffened as the memories of all the times Sasuke had rejected her and broke her heart.

"I'm guessing by your reaction that I'm right." Sabishii said, her tone much more comforting now. Sakura only nodded, for fear that her voice would give her away.

"Don't worry, I won't pry." She then turned her attention to Naruto. "As for you, Naruto, your scent is one that smells of family and friends, and yet also of a dark, ancient secret." She said the last part so that only Naruto could hear.

"Well, I didn't have a family as a kid, and I was pretty much an outcast for most of my childhood." Naruto said.

She nodded. "I see where those two come from, but what about the third?" she asked, honestly interested.

"Well, I kinda can't tell you. It's, you know, a secret." Naruto said, hoping that she wouldn't pry any further.

"Oh, okay." Sabishii said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

"But don't you worry, Sabishii. One day, I'll tell you why I have that scent." Said Naruto, hating to see her sad. She instantly cheered up.

"Really?" She asked, eyes bright with excitement.

"Sure! Because making a promise and keeping it is my ninja way." He said, glad to see she was happy again.

"Hey, Sabishii?" asked Sakura, who hadn't really paid much attention to the conversation.

"What is it Sakura?" she asked, glad to see she wasn't upset anymore.

"Well, what's Sasuke's scent anyway?" Sakura asked.

"Sasuke has four aromas that make up his scent. The first, and strongest, smells like family." She said.

"From when his brother killed his clan." Sakura stated. Sabishii nodded.

"The second one smells of poisons and death. I've never seen this kind of scent before." She said.

"From his curse mark!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Probably." Sabishii said. "The third one smells like friends, so it probably has something to do with you guys."

"That's probably from when I had to fight him to try and make him come back!" said Naruto. Again, Sabishii nodded.

"Not only that, but also from when I had to leave the village to go with Orochimaru." Sabishii added quietly, avoiding his gaze.

"Well yeah, but you had no choice. It was either you go with him, or he destroys the village." Said Naruto.

Sabishii sighed. "But if I hadn't gone with him, Sasuke may have never left to go to Orochimaru." She said, sounding like she had let them down.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sakura.

"When I left with him, he tried to make me tell him everything that I did in the village. When I refused, he used a jutsu on me that let him read my thoughts about everything. That's how he found out about Sasuke surviving the Uchiha massacre." She said, not daring to look at them directly.

"Meow." Shine said, feeling the guilt that Sabishii felt for leaving Sasuke.

"That no good dirty snake!" growled Naruto, fists clenched.

"I vowed that if he ever got his hands on Sasuke, I would do whatever it took to bring him back!" she said, shaking from anger at Orochimaru.

"_She thinks that because Orochimaru learned of Sasuke through her, that it's her fault he left. Poor Sabishii." _Thought Sakura, feeling saddened by learning more about what had happened to Sabishii.

"Well, don't worry Sabishii we'll bring Sasuke home, whether he likes it or not!" said Naruto, trying to cheer her up. It must've worked, because she looked up at him and smiled.

"Thanks Naruto." She replied.

"No problem. So, what's the fourth aroma?" Naruto asked, trying to get back on topic.

"Huh? Oh right, the scent!" Sabishii said. She had actually forgotten all about it.

"Well, the fourth scent is actually stronger than the third, but for some reason he's trying to hide it." She said, getting back on topic.

"Really?" asked Naruto.

"Well, what is it?" asked Sakura, interested in hearing what it was.

"Well, I'm actually surprised that you don't know Sakura." Said Sabishii, looking right at her.

"Really? Why me?" she asked._ "Why would I know anything about Sasuke?"_ thought Sakura.

"Well, because it's the same scent as yours." Stated Sabishii. Sakura stopped in her tracks. She thought over what she had just heard.

"_The same as mine. But why?" _thought Sakura, stunned by this statement.

"Meow!" called Shine, jumping onto Sabishii's shoulder.

"Shine's found the scent!" exclaimed Sabishii.

"Alright! Ready or not, here we come Sasuke!" yelled Naruto.

* * *

"Ah, won't he be pleased when he finds out his little friends are coming." chuckled Orochimaru. "Kabuto, tell him to wait for our special guests."

"Yes my Lord." Answered Kabuto, who then slipped into the shadows.

* * *

They arrived at the entrance to Orochimaru's lair.

"Alright everyone, stay on your toes and be prepared for anything." Whispered Sabishii. They nodded, and then entered the lair. They walked down a long hallway and found themselves in a big room. Shine arched his back and let out a long, low growl.

"He's here." Whispered Sabishii.

"Who?" asked Sakura.

"Orochimaru." Answered Sabishii.

"Well done Sabishii. I see you've honed that little talent of yours." Said a dark, evil voice. They turned around and saw him. The man who had killed the third, almost destroyed the Leaf, and had taken Sasuke away. Orochimaru. And standing next to him was the one they were searching for. Sasuke Uchiha.

"Give back Sasuke!" yelled Naruto.

"I think I'll leave him here with you three, so that you may catch up." Orocihmaru chuckled, and was gone. Sasuke looked at Sabishii.

"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

"Same reason as they are. To bring you back." She replied.

"But why? And how did you even know I was here?" he asked.

"Because I'm your friend. And don't tell me you've forgotten how I always knew things, even back when we were kids." She said.

"_How could anyone?" _thought Sasuke.

* * *

**Me: Okay, next one is going to be a FLASHBACK!!**

**Naruto: Aw man, those things make my head hurt.**

**Me: TO BAD!! IT'LL HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE STORY BETTER!!**

**Naruto: How? I thought this would be enough to make them understand it better**

**Me: NO!! This was to give Sabishii and Shine some character depth.**

**Sabishii/Shine: You'd do that for me?**

**Me: OF COURSE I WOULD!! I mean, you ARE a creation of my own mind. It's only natural.**

**Sabishii/Shine: YAY!!**

**Naruto: Well, as long as it's the only one.**

**Me: HECK NO!! There will be more, just not as long as this one.**

**Naruto: Oh well, I guess I can live with that. Hey, as anyone seen Sasuke and Sakura?**

**(in the distance) GET BACK HERE YOU ARROGANT JERK!!**

**Sabishii/Shine: You gave her something to make her go and get revenge on Sasuke, didn't you?**

**Me: Well, when you put it like that...**

**Sabishii/Shine:(sigh) Come on Naruto, we better stop her from killing him.**

**Naruto: Why? I think that whatever she does to him is STILL too good for him**

**Sabishii/Shine: Cause, we need him for the rest of this fic.**

**Naruto: Oh yeah. Well, Jaa Mata GG!**

**Me: Jaa Mata! Well, you heard it here. Next is a flashback, Sakura's out to kill Sasuke(YAY! sorry, I don't like him), and I'm updating next weekend. So, till then, JAA MATA!!(and yes, I still have a lot of sugar running through me)**


	5. Chapter 5

****

A/N: Hey everyone! GG here, with CHAPTER 5!! And, as stated in the last chapter, IT'S A FLASBACK!!

**Sasuke: And I'm here why?**

**Me: Because, I need you to read the disclaimer(hands him sheet of paper)**

**Sasuke:(reads over it) Oh, HECK NO!**

**Me: What now?**

**Sasuke: I'M NOT READING THAT!**

**Me: Hey, you OWE me.**

**Sasuke: How so?**

**Me: I saved you from a drunk Sakura, remember?**

**Sasuke: THAT WAS YOUR FAULT AND YOU KNOW IT!**

**Me: And your proof?**

**Sasuke:...**

**Me: Thought so. Now just read.**

**Sasuke: Fine.  
Sasuke: GG does not own Naruto. If she did, I wouldn't be an emotionless, power-crazed jerk who's hair style reminds her of a duck's butt. There, you happy now?**

**Me: Yes. I'll still need your services in the next chapter though.**

**Sasuke: WHAT?! WHY I OUTTA-**

**Me: TO THE STORY!!**

* * *

Sasuke walked down the hall to the Hokage's office. He was being brought in for questioning about the massacre and also to be assigned a new place to live, since they thought it would be cruel to keep him living in a place that had caused him such immense suffering.

He sighed._ "Why did big brother kill them?"_ he thought. He reached the door to the Hokage's office. He went to open it, when all of a sudden someone exited the room and ran into him full force. He landed on the floor with a very defining _thud_.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" said a girl's voice, helping him up.

"Don't worry about it." He replied, getting up. He looked at the girl who had run into him. Her brown bangs came to a point right where her eyebrows met. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail by a red ribbon, although she still had pieces of hair framing her face. She wore an orange shirt, gray-green shorts, and gray arm and leg bands. Out of everything, though, her emerald eyes were the one thing that truly stood out.

She held out her hand. "My name's Sabishii. What's yours?"

"Sasuke." He replied, shaking her hand.

"Meow." A black and white kitten appeared by her side.

"Oh yeah! And this is Shine!" she said, holding the cat right in Sasuke's face.

"Uh, hi Shine." He said, moving back just a couple inches.

"I better get going. Hope to see you around!" she said, running down the hall.

"Uh, yeah sure." He replied. _"She sure is odd."_ He thought.

* * *

"Alright Sasuke, that's all we need to know. Here's the address to your apartment." He handed him a slip of paper. "You may go now."

"Um, Lord Hokage sir?" Sasuke asked timidly.

He looked up from his paperwork. "What is it my boy?" he asked.

"Well, who was that girl who was in here before me?" he asked.

"Oh her? That is Sabishii Ko. She came here from a far away village." He answered.

"Huh. Do you know where she is staying?" he asked.

"If my memory serves, she'll be living quite close to you, Sasuke." Stated the Third Hokage, who had returned his attention to the paperwork in front of him.

"Okay. Thank you Lord Hokage." Said Sasuke. He turned and left.

* * *

"Alright, so that room number is two-zero-twOOF!" something ran into him while he was looking for the room number.

"_Ow, what hit me?" _he thought. He looked and saw Sabishii.

"Hey you're that girl. Sabishii, right?" he asked, helping her up.

"Yep! And you're Sasuke, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Hey where's Shine?" he asked, remembering the little cat. As if answering his question, Shine appeared beside Sabishii and jumped onto her shoulder.

"Here he is!" she announced, scratching his head. "Hey, you wanna come over to my place for a bit?" she asked hopefully.

"Uh, sure, but first I've gotta find my place and drop off my stuff." He said, not wanting to sound rude.

"Really? What room number are you?" she asked, looking over his shoulder at the piece of paper.

"I'm room 202." He said.

"Really? I'm 210! That means we can see each other a lot!" she said. "C'mon, I'll walk with you to your room."

"O-Okay." He said. They reached his room. He opened the door to reveal a pretty basic apartment. It had a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. He entered the bedroom and placed his things on the bed.

"Okay, now we can go to yours." He said, closing the door.

"YAY!!" she grabbed his hand. "C'mon!" she yelled, running down the hall.

"Hey, slow down a bit!" he said, pretty much being dragged by her. They reached her room. She opened the door.

"Here we are!" she said, gesturing towards it. He stepped inside. It was basically just like his, but from the way she acted, you would've thought it was a palace.

"You hungry?" she asked, walking towards the fridge, with Shine at her heels.

"A little bit." He admitted.

"Well then, think fast!" she said, tossing him something red. He caught it and looked at what the tomato he held. He walked over to the fridge and looked inside. It had so much food in there that he was amazed that she could pick out something without having to think hard about it.

"What's a matter? Don't like tomatoes?" she asked, biting into a pear.

"No, it's not that. It's just, how'd you pick that out so quickly? Especially since these are my favorites." He asked, curious.

"Oh, um, you just seem like a tomato person." She said, taking another bite. Sasuke then noticed something.

"Hey, where's your parents?" he asked, having not seen any evidence them. She looked down.

"My mom and dad are dead." She said quietly.

"Do you have any other family to stay with?" he asked, thinking that maybe she had some family here in Konoha. She shook her head.

"Nope. My whole clan was killed by an evil man. He said that he wanted me, but luckily I was able to escape." She said.

"I'm so sorry." Said Sasuke, knowing exactly what she must've been going through.

She smiled at him. "It's okay. At least I've found someone who understands how I'm feeling right now. And that's because you went through it too."

Hearing this, Sasuke choked on the bit of tomato in his mouth.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, coughing. "It's just, what you said took me by surprise."

She looked at him, confused. "What I said? All I said was that you know what I'm going through because you've lost your whole family too." A look of horror came across her face. "Why? Am I wrong? Because if I am, I'm really sorry, it's just that…"

"No, you're not wrong." He cut her off. "It's just, no one besides the Hokage and ANBU knew that. How did you know?" he asked.

She looked around the room. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked. He nodded. "Okay, well Shine and I have this ability where we can tell what kind of bad things have happened to people."

He looked at her, bewildered. "Really?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yep."

"I think I should go unpack now." Sasuke said, turning to leave.

" It's alright if you don't want to come back." Sabishii said quietly, looking at the floor.

He stopped. "What makes you think I wouldn't come back?"

She looked up. "Well, it's just that you probably think I'm weird, or possibly even crazy. And most people I know wouldn't want to hang out with a weird crazy person." She added quietly.

"Well then, I'm not like most people. Besides, you're my friend, and I don't abandon friends." He said. "And besides, whoever said crazy was a bad thing?" At this, she smiled a big smile,

"Okay, well then I'll see you after school tomorrow!" she said.

"Okay then, bye." He said, closing the door.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, hope you enjoyed! The next chapter will be back in the present. And, it will contain fighting.**

**Naruto: ALRIGHT! A FIGHT!!**

**Sasuke: Shut it, dobe.**

**Naruto: DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT IT DUCK-BUTT!**

**Sasuke: WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?**

**Naruto: YOU HEARD ME, DUCK-BUTT!**

**Sasuke: WHY YOU LITTLE!**

**Me: BOTH OF YOU CRAM IT BEFORE I LOCK YOU IN A ROOM FULL OF YOUR FANGIRLS!**

**Sasuke/Naruto: O.o**

**Me: Well, that shut them up. Anywho, I better wrap this up. Remember to leave reviews, and that Sasuke has duck-butt hair.**

**Sasuke: I DO NOT!**

**Me: YES YOU DO! NEXT TIME YOU SEE A DUCK, ASK SOMEONE TO COMPARE YOUR HAIR WITH IT'S BUTT!**

**Sasuke: I'M NOT DOING THAT!**

**Me: CUZ YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT!**

**Sasuke: NO, BECAUSE IT'S EXTREMELY IDIOTIC! LIKE YOU!**

**Me:...**

**Sasuke: Oh crap..**

**Naruto: Well, see you!(poofs away)**

**Sasuke: Wait! Don't leave me here!**

**Me: So, you think I'm idiotic?**

**Sasuke: Uh, well...**

**Me: WELL NOTHING! YOU'VE AWAKENED THE WRATH KNOWN AS GG!! NOW DIE!!**

**Sasuke:(runs away)**

**Me: GET BACK HERE!(runs after him)**

**Sabishii/Shine: They gone?**

**Sakura: Looks like it.**

**Sabishii/Shine: (sigh) I'll go calm down GG. You wrap up here.(takes off)**

**Sakura: Okay. Well, since GG is busy trying to kill Sasuke(in the distance: NO GG, DON'T DO IT! WE NEED HIM FOR THE FIC!), I guess I'll take over. Like she said, leave reviews, because she loves hearing from her fans(if she has any), and don't hate her for the Sasuke hate. She just has really bad anger issues. Well, 'till next time JAA MATA!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Alrighty then, GG here with Duck-butt and Chapter 6!**

**Sasuke: STOP CALLING ME THAT!**

**Me: NEVER! Now, READ THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Sasuke: I hate you so much.**

**Me: I know.**

**Sasuke: GG does not own Naruto. If she did, I would be named Ahiru Oshiri, which is Japanese for Duck butt. **

* * *

Sasuke stared at his former friends coldly. "It's too late for that now." He said. "Nothing can bring me back."

Sabishii smiled slyly. "All right then, I guess I have no choice." She looked him straight in the eyes. "Sasuke Uchiha, I challenge you. If I win, you must come home with us. If you win, we'll leave you alone for the next 2 ½ years."

"What are you doing!" yelled Naruto. "Even I couldn't beat him!"

She smiled at him. "Don't worry; I've got it all under control." She turned back to Sasuke. "Do you accept?" she asked, knowing that he couldn't resist a challenge.

He smirked. "You should listen to him you know. If he couldn't beat me, what makes you think you can?"

"Let's just say I have a few tricks up my sleeve." She said.

"Well, in that case, I accept your challenge!" he ran at her full force, sword drawn. She stood her ground, awaiting his attack.

"_Why doesn't she move?"_ he thought. As he got closer, he thrust his sword toward her. It made a metallic clang as it hit the rock hard fang of the giant panther Shine.

His eyes widened in shock. "What the..?" before he could finish, Shine bit the sword in half and rammed into Sasuke as hard as possible. He flew backwards and hit a wall. He looked up, shocked at what had happened. As soon as he did, though, kunai flew towards him at breakneck speeds. He quickly got out of the way in the nick of time. He looked around, Sharingan blazing, searching for his opponent. _"Where is she?"_ he thought, looking around him frantically.

"Here I am!" he heard a voice say behind him. He turned around in time to be hit full force in the stomach by Sabishii's spirit chakra covered fist. His eyes widened, as images from her past and visions flashed before him like a movie put on fast forward. He flew across the room and skidded to a stop. Shocked from what he saw, he didn't get up.

"Well then, it looks like I win." Sabishii announced.

"ALRIGHT SABISHII!" yelled Naruto. Shine growled, still in panther form. "Oh yeah, you too Shine." He added, remembering how Shine bit Sasuke's sword in half like it was nothing more than a toothpick.

"_Amazing. She was able to stop him with one punch."_ Sakura thought, staring in awe at the strength of the mysterious girl.

"What, what was that?" Sasuke asked, recovering from the shock of the images.

"That was one of the many tamishii moves that I can perform." She said. "By concentrating my spirit chakra into my hand, I'm able to send whatever images I please towards my opponent, as long as I make contact." She walked over to Sasuke. He looked away from her.

"Sasuke, I will teach you techniques that you'd never learn here. And even if you somehow managed to learn them, it would never be at the same strength as the ones that I could teach you. Besides, I'd make sure you'd be close to the people that you're protecting. Or should I say,_ person_." She added in a low voice meant for only him to hear. He looked up her, the faintest of blushes on his face.

"What're you talking about?" he asked, the blush still apparent.

She smiled at him. "I know a lot of things, Sasuke, and your real reasons for being here are at the top of my list."

He looked her straight in the eye. "Then you know why I can't come back until I finish what he started."

Sabishii sighed. "Well then, I guess I have no choice but to help you."

"Look, nothing you say is gonna stop me because- Wait, what?" asked Sasuke, thinking he heard wrong.

"You heard me. I'll help you by not only training you, but by taking you to Itachi when the time comes. And that's more than Orochimaru could ever do for you." She held out her hand, ready for him to take it. "Accept this offer, and you'll never regret it."

"Alright, I'll do it." He said quietly, taking her hand. She pulled him to his feet.

"ALRIGHT! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" shouted Naruto.

"_Good to have you back Sasuke."_ Sakura thought.

"Well, you guys heard Naruto. Time for us to head out!" said Sabishii.

"Meow!" Shine said, agreeing with Sabishii.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." A voice hissed.

"Get down!" yelled Sasuke. They all ducked, just in time to avoid being hit by the kunai that came flying towards where they had just been.

"I'm not letting any of you leave with Sasuke." Orochimaru hissed, coming out of the shadows with Kabuto following him.

"It's too late Orochimaru!" Sabishii yelled. "You tricked him into coming here, saying that you could give what he wants, when in reality you were just using him! Well, now he knows the truth, and he's realized that the only thing you offer is pain, suffering, and vicious lies!" Shine growled in agreement, already back into his panther form.

He laughed. "Those little visions of yours really _do_ see everything. Very well, if you want him to come back with you so badly, then I guess you wouldn't mind fighting for him!" He snapped his fingers, causing kunai and swords to come from many different directions. The group jumped out of the way and regrouped behind a pillar.

"Alright, to take on these two, we'll need to split up." Sabishii stated.

"Right" agreed everyone.

"So, here are the two groups: Sasuke, since you've trained with and fought Orochimaru, he'll be your opponenet. Sakura, you go with Sasuke, in case he needs back-up or medical ninjutsu. Naruto, since you've fought Kabuto, you and I will take him on. Any questions?" she asked. Naruto raised his hand. "Yes?" she asked.

"How come Sasuke gets to be paired with Sakura?" he whined, as usual.

"Two reasons. One, her medical training may not have progressed far enough to treat any wounds that you might receive from Kabuto, considering the fact that he's also a medic nin, and a good one at that. And two, you have something inside of you that, if let out, could kill her in one blow." Sabishii stated, looking at him seriously.

"Oh yeah, that's right." He said, obviously having forgotten.

"_So, Sakura is a medical nin in training now, huh?"_ Sasuke thought, staring at her._ "This should be interesting."_ He started evaluating her just by looking. She looked the same, but he could sense a certain strength surrounding her. Of course, he always had whenever he stole quick secret glances at her. But this time he noticed that it seemed much more honed somehow, almost like she knew how to use it to her advantage. And, just like before, he slipped into a habit that for some reason also accompanied his evaluation of her. He began to notice that the pink hair that always complimented her fair skin had lost some of its shine. He then looked at her jade eyes, which were always full of emotion and intelligence, focus on everything Sabishii was saying.

"Sasuke."

He began wondering how she would feel in his arms as he held her against him.

"Sasuke?"

He even began imaging what her lips would feel like against pressed against his…

"Yoohoo Sasuke?"

And how she would pull away and look into his eyes and say those three magic words…

"OI DUCK-BUTT!" yelled Sabishii, snapping her fingers in front of Sasuke's face. He snapped out of his self induced trance. He looked around and saw the worried faces of his teammates.

"You alright Sasuke?" asked Sakura, concern lining her voice.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" he snapped back coldly. Sakura looked down, obviously hurt.

"It's just, you kinda spaced out there. We called your name a couple times before you responded." She said, still not looking at him.

"And people call _me_ a knucklehead." Muttered Naruto, which made Sabishii giggle a bit.

"What'd you say?" Sasuke asked angrily, glaring at Naruto.

"Well, when someone asks if you're alright, you don't snap at them!" Naruto shot back.

"And _that _makes me a knucklehead? Try looking in a mirror once, dobe." Sasuke said.

"You're right. That doesn't make you a knucklehead." Said Naruto.

"Hn, glad to see that you agree." Smirked Sasuke, thinking he had won.

"It makes you an emotionless teme AND a knucklehead!" Naruto said.

"What'd you call me?" Sasuke asked angrily, getting closer to Naruto's face.

"You heard me, teme." Naruto said, getting closer to Sasuke. They both glared at each other and were just about ready to kill each other.

"Knock it off you two!" Sakura said, pushing them away from each other.

"He started it." Naruto muttered.

"Hn." Sasuke said. He looked over at Sabishii and saw her stifling laughter at what had just happened. The expression on her face said that she wondered how they ever got anything done, and had found what followed extremely funny. But, he noticed, underneath that expression was one that was trying even harder not to laugh at the real reason Sasuke spaced out. He shook that thought from his head._ "There's no way she would know that, right?"_ he thought. Sabishii sighed, which snapped Sasuke back to the present.

"Alright, for Sasuke's sake, let me repeat how this is going to work. Naruto and I are going to fight Kabuto. Once he's outta the way, I'll put this explosion tag on the main pillar. When it goes off, this whole place comes down. Now, Orochimaru wants Sasuke, so he'll be trying to get rid of anything that stands in his way. That's where you two come in." she directed this part of the plan towards Sasuke and Sakura. "Keep the battle going for as long as you can. When I give the signal, the tag will go off, and we get out of here as fast and as far as possible." Sabishii finished, looking extremely serious. "Does everyone understand?" she asked. They nodded.

"Good. Now let's go!" and with that, they split up.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, that ends this chapter. Next one is a heck of a lot more fighting, between both Orochimaru, Duck butt, AND Sakura!**

**Sasuke: WILL YOU QUIT IT ALREADY?! IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY ANYMORE! **

**Me: Oh really? **

**Sasuke: YEAH!**

**Me: Than what is it?**

**Sasuke: IT'S ANNOYING!!**

**Me: Oh, so you like being called duck-butt?**

**Sasuke: WHAT ARE YOU, DEAF? I JUST SAID IT WAS ANNOYING!**

**Me: Yeah, but you call Sakura annoying, and EVERYONE knows that you like her.**

**Sasuke:(blushing) I DO NOT!**

**Sabishii/Shine: That's not what I see!**

**Sasuke: SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOT HELPING!!**

**Me: Oh really, what do you see Sabishii?**

**Sabishii/Shine: Well, I see his real emotions towards her whenever she's around, I see what he thinks about when she's hurt, Oh, AND I also see what he dreams about doing with her.**

**Sasuke: (as red as the child of a tomato and an apple) I DREAM NOTHING OF THE SORT!**

**Me: Oh, do tell! I LOVE hearing this kind of stuff!**

**Sabishii/Shine: Um, well, I kinda can't tell you.**

**Me: Oh really? Why not?**

**Sabishii/Shine: Well, let's just say it would make the fic rating go even higher than M.**

**Me: O.o**

**Sabishii/Shine: Yeah**

**Me: Wow Sasuke, I never knew you were such a frisky pervert.**

**Sasuke:(redder than the child of a tomato and an apple that is wrapped up in Sakura's red dress) I AM NOT A FRISKY PERVERT!**

**Me: Then I suppose these fics I found prove nothing?**

**Sasuke: WHAT! Let me see them!(reads them) OH DEAR GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!**

**Me: Hey, don't blame me, blame the writers who I've put on my favorites list.**

**Sasuke: YOU SICK LITTLE PERVERT!**

**Me: And darn proud of it.**

**Sasuke: O.o(twitching)**

**Me: Well, since he's in a state of lemoney and limey shock, I guess I better wrap this up. Remember, I update two chapters a weekend. And PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW? Anyone who reviews this chapter gets duck-butt for a week!**

**Sasuke: NO WAY!**

**Me: QUIET YOU! Well, like I said, leave reviews, and 'til next time JAA MATA!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: HELLO PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO READ FANFICS! Now, before we get started with the fic, I've got some business to take care of. HEY DUCK-BUTT!! GET OVER HERE!!**

**Sasuke: Ugh. What is it now?**

**Me: Well first, it's time to announce the winners of the "Win Sasuke for a week contest"!**

**Sasuke: Fi… Wait, winners? As in, more than one?**

**Me: Yes that's right. The winners are Emicachick54, The One and Only Phoenix Hime, and carolinee458.(throws confetti) CONGRATULATIONS!!**

**Sasuke: Wait a second(thinks REALLY hard) HEY! ONLY ONE OF THEM REVIEWED CHAPTER 6!!**

**Me: Yeah, but the other two added me to their favorites and Alert list, which in my book is just as good as a review because it lets me know that people actually like what I wrote.**

**Sasuke: But…**

**Me: NO BUTS!! NOW TURN INTO THREE OF YOURSELVES SO THAT YOU CAN READ THE DISCLAIMER AND GET THIS OVER WITH ALREADY!!**

**Sasuke: Fine.(turns into three of himselves)**

**Sasukes: GG does not own Naruto. If she did, she would have made it so that after I knocked Sakura out, I would've laid her down and kissed her good-bye.**

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura hid behind a pillar, just to the right of Orochimaru. They were waiting for when Naruto and Sabishii would run from their hiding place to try and place the explosive tag on the main pillar.

"Alright, we need to create a distraction that will allow Naruto and Sabishii to get where they need to get to." He said. He looked over at Sakura and saw that she was tying an explosive tag to a kunai.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"Creating a distraction." She answered. "When this goes off, he won't be able to see because of all the debris around him from the explosion. And that's when you can strike!"

He nodded. "Alright then. When I give the signal, throw the kunai right at him. And make sure to stay outta the way." He added.

She nodded. "Gotcha."

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Orochimaru taunted, waiting for them to strike. Naruto and Sabishii were the first to come out, running straight for the main pillar and Kabuto.

"Aha! There you are!" he said, lashing his tongue towards them. Suddenly, bursts of fire cut off his path towards Sabishii. He reeled his tongue back in before it could be burned. As soon as he did, though, a kunai with an explosive tag was thrown in front of him. He avoided the attack with only seconds to spare. He looked around, awaiting the next attack.

"Where are you?" shouted Orochimaru, searching for the attack through the dust.

"Right here!" Sasuke flew out of the dust, Sharingan blazing and Chidori in hand.

"Chidori!" Sasuke shouted, thrusting his hand into Orochimatu's chest. The villains eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell to the ground.

"Well, I guess that takes care of that." Sasuke said, wiping Orochimaru's blood off his hand. All of a sudden, the body on the floor turned into a sandbag.

"_What?! A substitution! But then where…" _he trailed off, searching through the dust for Orochimaru.

"Sasuke behind you!" shouted Sakura from her spot behind the pillar. He turned around, only to get punched in the face and fly into a pillar.

"Pretty clever of you Sasuke. I really have taught you well." Orochimaru chuckled. He walked up to Sasuke, who still lay on the floor. "If you turn against them now, I just might spare your life and continue training you."

"After seeing what you did to Sabishii?! I'd rather endure whatever punishment I get back in Konoha!" spat Sasuke. Orochimaru grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his shirt and threw him into another pillar. He gasped as pain shot through his body like fire.

"You think that if you go back, they'll treat you like nothing ever happened?! You're a traitor now!" shouted Orochimaru angrily. Before Sasuke could react, Orochimaru had him by the neck, squeezing it to make it hard for him to breathe. He looked up at the gasping Sasuke and said "But, knowing the Leaf, they won't kill you. However, when it comes to betraying me, the only penalty is death."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw Orochimaru's Kusangi come up out of his mouth. He pulled it out, and poised it so that it was aimed directly at Sasuke's chest.

"It is a shame that I have to kill you." Said Orochimaru in what sounded like remorse. "You would've been the perfect body for me. Oh well, I guess I can always hunt down Sabishii. She'll do anything to protect anyone, even complete strangers. Good-bye, Sasuke." He pulled the sword back, ready to pierce his heart, when a pink blur suddenly threw itself against Orochimaru. Caught off guard, Orochimaru let Sasuke go and turned to face the new threat. Gasping for air, Sasuke looked up and saw Sakura preparing herself to fight.

"You alright Sasuke?" she asked, eyes on Orochimaru.

"What're you doing? I said stay out of the way!" he choked out the words, still weak from being half-strangled to death.

"And watch a friend die? I'd rather risk my own life than do that. Besides," she risked a glance back. "I'm not useless anymore."

He knew she was right, but the thought of her getting hurt because of him… He waved the thought away.

"Fine. But _be careful_." He said, stressing the last part as much as possible.

She smiled at him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." She said, and then turned to face her opponent.

**

* * *

**

Sasuke: (looks up at clock) Where is she?

**Sakura: How should I know? Sabishii, do you see her?**

**Sabishii/Shine: (looking out window) Nope, nothing. Oh wait, here comes Naruto! And he looks…scared?**

**Sakura: Scared? But why?**

**Naruto:(pounds on door) FOR THE LOVE OF RAMEN!!LET ME IN!!**

**Sasuke:(opens door) What is it dobe?**

**Naruto: GG(pant)manga(pant)angry(pant)chainsaw…**

**Sasuke:(picks up Naruto) WHAT ABOUT GG AND A CHAINSAW?!**

**Sabishii/Shine: Are you…scared, Sasuke?**

**Sasuke: OF COURSE!! SHE HATES ME!! AND WHEN I HEAR THE WORDS GG AND CHAINSAW IN THE SAME SENTENCE, ALONG WITH THE WORD MANGA, I SEE MY DEATH IN THE FUTURE!!(goes back to Naruto) WHAT HAPPENED?!**

**Naruto: GG started reading the manga, and now she's up to the part where we meet up with you for the first time after the time skip, although she already knows what has happened so far because she cheats and reads Wikipedia. (best site ever. WOOT!)**

**Sasuke: Oh no.**

**Naruto: And she was already mad, because her favorite character in some fic won't be there for a while, so this just sent her over the edge. AND NOW SHE'S COMING TO KILL YOU!!**

**Sasuke: DEAR GOD!! I'VE GOTTA HIDE!!  
**

**Sabishii/Shine: Too late.**

**Me: (pounding on door) SASUKE!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU CHICKEN-ASS HAIRED JERK!!(chainsaw sounds can be heard)**

**Sasuke: Mommy!**

**Me: (breaks down door with flaming chainsaw)SASUKE!! AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS, THAT'S HOW YOU ACT TO THEM?! AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT BECAUSE YOU WERE GONE, SAKURA AND NARUTO HAD A MOMENT!! AND THEN YOU GO AND START EVEN MORE CRAP BY KILLING YOUR BROTHER, JOINING AKATSUKI, CAPTURING THE EIGHT-TAILS, SAYING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DESTROY KONOHA, AND MAKING NARUSAKU AN ACTUAL POSSIBILITY!!**

**Sasuke: Don't blame me, blame the writer!**

**Me: I DON'T WANNA BLAME THE WRITER, BECAUSE I NEED THE WRITER TO FINISH THE SERIES!! SO INSTEAD, I'LL JUST BLAME HIS CHARACTERS!! (revs up chainsaw)**

**Sabishii/Shine: Now GG, don't do anything you'll regret. Remember, we need him for the fic.**

**Me: NO WE DON'T! I CAN ALWAYS REWRITE IT SO THAT IT'S A NARUSAKU FIC, OR A KABUSAKU FIC!!**

**Kabuto: Why me? And how'd I get here?!**

**Sabishii/Shine: Oh, whenever anyone in the author notes mentions or thinks of a character, they pop up.**

**Kabuto: Really? Let me try. (thinks of a character)**

**Lee: YOUTH!! **

**Sasuke: OH DEAR GOD! NOT HIM TOO!!**

**Me: SHUT UP!! TODAY'S THE DAY YOU DIE!! Hey Lee, wanna help?**

**Lee: It would be a youthful honor to help out with such a youthful murder! YOUTH!!**

**Me: ALRIGHTY THEN!!(starts chasing after Sasuke)**

**Sasuke: (running away) WHY ME?!**

**Me: I'VE GIVEN YOU THAT LIST, LIKE, FIVE TIMES ALREADY! STOP ASKING!!**

**Lee: Yes, oh youthful one whose youthful hair reminds me of a youthful cockatoo! It is very unyouthful and impolite to make someone have to repeat their youthful answer. YOUTH!!**

**Sasuke: WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!**

**Me: HE'LL SHUT UP WHEN YOU DO!! NOW DIE!!(continues chasing him)**

**Sakura: You think we should wrap this up?**

**Naruto: Yeah, probably.**

**Sabishii/Shine: (sigh) I'll go calm down GG. AGAIN.**

**Sakura: Well, we hope you enjoyed this chapter! GG is sorry about the long author notes, she just has issues that need to be addressed. (in the distance: CRAP!! I MISSED HIM!!) She also apoligizes for the shortness of this chapter. Please leave reviews, and this time if you leave reviews, you'll receive a free Orochimaru punching bag! So 'till next time, JAA MATA!!(in the distance: You almost got him with that youthful swing of your youthful flaming chainsaw of death. YOUTH!!)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey everyone! Well, here's chapter 8! AND IT'S LONGER!!(I think) And since duck-butt's not here right now, I'll just call upon the services of the great pedophile MICHAEL JACKSON!!**

**Sabishii/Shine: Wrong pedophile GG.**

**Me: Huh? Oh, whoops! What I meant to say was OROCHIMARU!!**

**Orochimaru: I'm not a pedophile you know.**

**Me: Yeah, yeah, just read the disclaimer, pedophile.**

**Orochimaru:(sigh) Why do I even bother?  
Orochimaru: GG does not own Naruto. If she did, she wouldn't have allowed duck-butt to come to me, the world's first anime Michael Jackson.**

* * *

Orochimaru got to his feet. He chuckled when he saw who is opponent was.

"So, the little girl has decided to come out of hiding? My dear, do you honestly think your strong enough to fight me?" he asked menacingly. Sakura raised a kunai.

"I may not be strong enough, but I'll do whatever it takes to bring Sasuke home!" she said, charging towards him.

"Oh well, more fun for me I guess." He said, grasping his sword tighter and lunging towards her. The sound of metal on metal rang pure and clear throughout the room as the two ninjas clashed again and again. The two skidded to a stop after one of their clashes, both trying to find a break in the other's defenses.

"_There's no way to break through his defense." thought Sakura. "So I'll just have to keep coming at him!"_ she charged again, ready to strike.

"I've had enough of you." Orochimaru said. When Sakura was close enough, he used his sword and slashed her across her stomach. Blood flowed freely from the gash.

"_NO!" _Sasuke thought, watching the scene in front of him with horror. All of a sudden though, the Sakura in front of Orochimaru turned into a sandbag right before his eyes.

"Ah, a substitution jutsu, eh? How very clever. So then, where's the real one?" asked Orochimaru, searching for the real one.

"Right here!" she shouted punching Orochimaru in the face with a chakra powered fist. He flew a few feet, but not without giving Sakura a deep cut on her left leg. He landed on his feet, watching her with curiosity.

"_That power. So similar to Tsunade's. Maybe this'll be more interesting than I thought."_ Thought Orochimaru. Sasuke stared at Sakura, amazed by how strong she had gotten while he was away. Sakura healed the cut enough so that it wouldn't slow her down in battle.

"Interesting. You've only trained with Tsunade for 6 months, and yet you're already this strong?" asked Orochimaru. He chuckled darkly. "And here I thought that you were just a weak little girl."

Sakura stood up, facing Orochimaru. "Well, you were wrong. Because I'm not weak anymore!" she said, running at him again, fist raised and ready to deliver another chakra powered blow.

"Nice try, but I'm not falling for that again!" he said, pushing Kusangi's handle into her stomach. Just like before, she turned into a sandbag right in front of him.

"And now you're here!" he said, turning to where he thought she was, only to be met by an empty space.

"What the…." Before he could finish, a kunai with a paper bomb flew towards him. He dodged it quickly, only to receive a chakra powered kick in the back. He flipped in the air, only to land on his feet. He looked at the pink kunoichi with nothing but hatred and annoyance in eyes.

"_This girl is becoming quite intolerable."_ He thought, performing hand signs. Sasuke recognized them in an instance as the summoning jutsu hand signs.

"Sakura, get out of there!" Sasuke yelled, using what strength he had to try and get up to help her. Before he could, though, Orochimaru slammed his and on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he yelled, and in a great puff of smoke, caused the great snake Manda to appear. "Now attack!" Orochimaru ordered the snake. Manda charged as fast as lighting towards Sakura. It crashed into a pillar as Sakura dodged it. Just as quickly, however, it lashed its tail towards her. It crashed into her, sending her flying into a pillar. She crashed into the stone with great force, causing the stone to crack. She got up breathing heavily, wiping the trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.

"My, aren't you the little tough girl?" taunted Orochimaru. He performed another hand sign, and the snake turned around, poised to strike. "To bad it's all in vain!" he said, sending the snake towards her. The snake charged at her again, fangs bared. She dodged again, making sure to be careful of the tail. As the tail came towards her, she dodged it quickly only to have the sharp tip slash her side.

"Ah!" she cried, clutching her side. She started to heal it, but was stopped by Orochimaru coming towards her, Kusangi raised. He slashed at her, creating a deep gash on her left arm. She jumped out his way before he had the chance to strike again. She ducked behind a pillar, panting and trying to think of a way to beat him.

"_At this rate, I won't be able to do anything against him, much less hold him off."_ Sakura thought. _"I guess I'll have to keep attacking and dodging."_ Orochimaru chuckled, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts.

"Don't think you can hide forever my dear." He said. "Especially since I know exactly where you hiding."

"_What?! How does he…"_ thought Sakura.

He chuckled again. "Anything that Manda sees, I see also."

She stiffened._ "Then that means…"_ she trailed off, seeing the great snake coming straight for her. Knowing that there was no point in trying to dodge, she braced herself for the impact. The snake's head crashed into her, causing her to fly through the pillar she was hiding behind and to crash into another. She gasped in pain as more blood trickled from her mouth. Orochimaru ran towards her, sword aimed at her heart. She closed her eyes, waiting for it to end, knowing that there was nothing more she could do.

"_I'm so sorry Sasuke."_ Sakura thought, fighting back tears._ "I couldn't save you. I'm still just a weak and useless burden."_

"_So, she's finally accepted the fact that her time has come. Well then, that just makes it easier for me!"_ Orochimaru thought as he came ever closer, sword ready to take another life.

"_I won't let him kill Sakura!"_ Sasuke thought angrily, pushing himself to his feet. He then ran as fast as he could so that he could prevent the loss of another precious person. Time seemed to slow as Orochimaru thrust Kusangi towards Sakura, who awaited the metallic hand of death to grab her. Sasuke focused chakra into his feet, doing whatever he could to protect Sakura. Blood spilt on the floor as Kusangi pierced pale flesh. Orochimaru's eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

"_Am I dead?"_ thought Sakura._ "I didn't feel anything. So then what…."_ She opened one eye to see a form standing in front of her, blood dripping from the wound that Kusangi had dealt to his right arm.

"Sa-Sasuke?" she breathed, shocked.

He smirked. "Didn't I tell you to be careful?" He wrenched Kusangi out of Orochimaru's grasp, and prepared to fight with it.

"So you're prepared to give yourself up just for the sake of an old friend?" asked Orochimaru. He chuckled as he grabbed a kunai from his pouch. "I thought I taught you that friends just hold you back."

Sasuke clenched his teeth. "Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. And you're even worse than those people!"

"My, such big words coming from someone whose only a Genin. Let's see if you can live up to your words!" hissed Orochimaru angrily, and they then both ran at each other, sword and kunai raised in attack. They were about to collide, when all of a sudden a loud explosion was heard throughout the room. The room then began to shake and crumble.

**

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**

A/N: Well, that's the end of that! Next time, find out what happened.

**Orochimaru: ****Can I win the fight?**

**Me: No.**

**Orochimaru: Why not?**

**Me: Because if you won, then it would be a sad fic, when the genre clearly states that it's romance/humor.**

**Orochimaur: Yeah, but aren't you planning a sad ending?**

**Me: SSSHHHHH!! DON'T GIVE IT AWAY!! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A SURPRISE!!**

**Orochimaru: Oh. Maybe you should wrap this up then?**

**Me: Huh? Oh yeah sure! Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to leave reviews, and if you do, you'll get a Sakura cookie! I'll try and update two chapters a weekend, but what with school and everything, it might be a wee bit harder. Well, 'till next time JAA MATA!!**


	9. ANNOUNCEMENT FROM GG!

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**Naruto: WHAT'RE YOU TALKING BOUT TEME? I COULD KICK YOU'RE BUTT ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!!**

**Me: Guys?**

**Sasuke: AS IF!! EVERYONE KNOWS THAT I'M THE STRONGEST CHARACTER ON THE SHOW!!**

**Me: Uh guys?**

**Sakura: Both of you knock it off!! Sabishii, help!**

**Me: GUYS?!**

**Sabishii/Shine: I don't know Sasuke, I think Naruto's stronger.**

**Me:(sigh)**

**Sasuke: NO WAY IS HE STRONGER!!**

**Me:(walks over and picks up manga book)**

**Naruto: YOU WANNA GO AT IT RIGHT NOW?!**

**Me:(flips through the pages)**

**Sasuke: HECK YEAH I DO!!(begins powering up his attacks)**

**Me:(finds page) Here we go!**

**Naruto: YOU ASKED FOR IT!!(begins powering up)**

**Me:(takes deep breath)**

**Sasuke/Naruto:(running at each other)**

**Me: OH MY GOD!! KISHIMOTO MADE NARUTO AND SAKURA GET TOGETHER!! AND SASUKE JUST SAID HE LOVED KARIN!!**

**Sakura:O.o HUH?!**

**Naruto: YES!!**

**Sasuke:(falls to knees) NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!**

**Sabishii/Shine:(walks over to me)(reads page) You guys do know she's lying, right?**

**Sakura: Re-Really?**

**Sasuke: THANK YOU DEAR GOD ABOVE!!**

**Naruto: (falls to knees) NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!**

**Me: Okay, now that I have your attention, I have an announcement.**

**Sasuke: You mentally scar us for AN ANNOUNCEMENT?!**

**Me: Yeah, but it concerns the fic.**

**Sakura: What is it?**

**Me: Well, I'm going on a camping trip this weekend, so I might not be able to update.**

**Everybody: HUH?!**

**Me: I know. 'Tis so sad!! T.T**

**Naruto: Well, why don't you write them on Friday?**

**Me: I can't. I'm leaving on Friday at five. But don't worry. I have the day off on Monday, so I might update then. But, until then, I'm officially giving you guys a well deserved break!**

**Everbody: WOOHOO!!**

**Me: Well, sorry about this my fellow readers. I will TRY and update Monday!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME?! If you do, you'll get to be part of the ridiculously long author notes of GG!!(to be part of this, please review this saying that you forgive me. You can even send in what you want me to make you say.) Well, 'till next time, JAA MATA!!**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey everyone!! I'm really sorry about having such short chapters lately. I've been kinda busy lately, and the one I'm using to type this up is getting caught up with this one. So if the chapters are really short, I TRULY apologize(bows down in apology). Anywho, with me today is a special guest! Please welcome KUNOICHI SEDONA!!(applause)**

**Sedona: Hey everyone!!**

**Me: As I said in the announcement, (if anyone besides Kunoichi Sedona read it) if you reviewed it, I would put you in the ridiculously long author notes of GG!! So, since she reviewed, here she is!!**

**Sedona: Hey GG?**

**Me: Yes?**

**Sedona: Can I sing the disclaimer with Sakura?**

**Me: Singing the disclaimer, huh? I LOVE IT!! IT'S DELICIOUSLY RANDOM!!**

**Sedona: So, is that a yes?**

**Me: THAT'S A MEGA YES!! GET OVER HERE SAKURA!!**

**Sedona: YAY!!  
Sedona/Sakura: (singing) GG does not own Naruto. If she did, there would've been some kind of musical episode!!**

**Me: WOOT!! THAT WAS AWESOME!!**

**Sedona: (takes a bow) Really?**

**Me: Yeah it was! Hey, you wanna be my co-host?**

**Sedona: I'll have to think about it.**

**Me: Okay. Can I use you for the next chapter?**

**Sedona: Eh, sure.**

**Me: YAY!! Oh, I better stop wasting the reader's time. TO THE STORY!!**

* * *

"What was that?" asked Sakura. Sasuke looked in the direction from where the sound had come from.

"Look over there and you'll get your answer." He said. Sakura turned and saw Shine running towards them, with Sabishii on his back and Naruto holding on for dear life. Shine leapt between them and Orochimaru, teeth bared, ready to attack at the slightest movement.

"Quick! Jump on!" yelled Sabishii. Sasuke grabbed Sakura's wrist and jumped onto Shine, pulling her behind him.

"Hold on tight!" she yelled, urging the panther forward. They grabbed the fur tightly as Shine leapt into the air, bounding for the exit.

"You won't get away that easily!" Orochimaru yelled, giving orders to Manda to go after them. The snake obeyed, and began giving chase to the prey that he refused to escape. Sabishii urged Shine to go faster, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before the snake caught up with them.

"Hey Sabishii." Sakura yelled over the sounds of the room collapsing.

"Yeah?" Sabishii yelled back.

"What happened to the signal you were supposed to give us before the tag went off?" yelled Sakura.

"There was supposed to be a signal before the tag went off?" asked Sabishii. The group just stared at her incredulously.

"YES!!" they yelled together.

"Oh. Oops." She apologized.

"What'd you think, that the tag going off was the signal?" asked Sasuke.

"Um, yes?" Sabishii answered.

Sakura sighed. "Even Naruto knows that there's a signal before a tag goes off. And he's an idiot!" she said.

"Yeah! Wait, what?" yelled Naruto.

"Is this really a good time to do this?" asked Sabishii. "I mean, we are trying to escape."

"She's right." Sasuke said. "We need to focus on escaping right now. Then we'll criticize her judgment."

"Fine." Naruto said, pouting.

"Thank you." Sabishii said. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the snake was gaining ground faster than she expected.

"_Damn, who knew a snake that big could be that fast?"_ she thought. She urged Shine to go even faster, even though he was almost at his limit.

"Hey Sasuke!" she yelled back.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Can you use the Dragon Flame Jutsu?" she asked, hoping for a good answer.

"Yeah, why?" he asked, although he already knew what she wanted.

"I need you to use it on that thing so that we can get out of here faster." She said.

He nodded. "Alright then." He turned around, only to be met by bright jade eyes.

"_Oh yeah, that's right."_ He thought, remembering that she was behind him. "Sakura, I need you to get down for me." He said.

She nodded. "Okay." She leaned down onto Shine as far as she could, trying to stay out of Sasuke's way. Unfortunately, she was still in the way, not as much as before, but enough for her to still be injured by the jutsu.

"Sakura, I need you to get lower." He said.

"I can't get any lower Sasuke." She said.

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke.

"Just that. I can't get any lower." She replied. He looked down and saw that she was right. She had pressed herself against down until it had almost become impossible to hold on.

"_Great. What do we do now?" _He thought. Almost immediately, he thought of one other option, though he'd never admit that he was the one who thought of it.

"_Well, desperate times call for desperate measures."_ He thought. "Sakura." He said.

"Yeah?" she asked, still waiting for his attack.

"I've got an idea, but don't get mad." He said.

"Why would I…" before she could finish the sentence, though, Sasuke had grabbed her and pulled her towards him. She blushed lightly at the sudden contact, but remained calm the whole time.

"Now hold on tight." He ordered. She did what he said and wrapped her arms around him tightly, pulling her even closer to him. He flinched a little, both from the contact and from his injuries. Sakura noticed this and had begun to use her medical jutsu on him.

"_This should help him."_ Sakura thought, healing not only his wounds, but giving him some of her chakra as well. Sasuke performed the hand signs needed, and felt the fire rise within him rapidly.

"_Now I just have to wait for Manda to get closer."_ He thought. The great snake was coming even faster, and when it wasn't more than five feet away, Sasuke released the Uchiha fire from within.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" A giant jet of fire erupted from the Uchiha, engulfing everything in its path. The snake roared in agony as it met the raging fire. It writhed and thrashed around, trying hard to stop the pain and the group at the same time. Sabishii stood up on Shine and began performing hand signs.

"What are you doing?" asked Naruto, alarmed at what she was doing. Sasuke looked back to see what was going on.

"You'll see. Just keep holding on." Sabishii replied, finishing up the hand signs. She then began gathering chakra in her hand, creating a crackling sphere of chakra. Sasuke looked at it, finding that it seemed oddly familiar.

"_It looks like the Chidori."_ He thought. He then saw the sphere of chakra rise and begin to swirl, causing the crackling chakra to swirl around it.

"_It resembles the Chidori, yet at the same time resembles that move Naruto always uses."_ Sasuke thought. _"Where in the world did she learn to do that?"_

Just then, Manda slammed into a pillar, creating a shower of stone slabs to rain down. One stone slab in particular began falling straight towards them, and was falling at such a speed that there was no way Shine could dodge it. Sabishii launched herself into the air, drawing back the hand which held the chakra.

"Rasendori!" she yelled, thrusting the chakra towards the center of the rock. It hit right on target, causing the rock to break into a thousand pieces. Instead of being squished by one big rock, the group was showered in dust and small stones. Sabishii fell through the air and landed right back onto Shine.

"What the…How did you…?" stuttered Naruto, but was then cut off by Sabishii.

"We're almost to the exit Sasuke." She said. "You can stop anytime you're ready to."

He nodded, and instantly stopped the stream of fire. He was also about to let Sakura off of him, when Sabishii said something that made him wonder how he became friends with her again.

"And whatever you're holding onto, don't let go. If anything, hold on even tighter." Said Sabishii, who had already tightened her grip on Shine's fur. Sasuke felt Sakura's face heat up a little, knowing that the thing she had to hold onto was him.

"_Well, guess there's nothing to do now except do as she says."_ Thought Sasuke . He wrapped one arm around Sakura's waist so that she would stay in place. He used the other hand to grasp Shine's fur tightly to prevent him from falling off the great beast. Shine bounded through the exit and headed straight for the light at the end of the long dark tunnel. He leaped through the opening, which collapsed only a few seconds later. Shine landed on the ground, skidding to a stop. The group then watched as the building that they had just escaped from crumbled into nothing more than dust and stone.

**

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**

A/N: Sorry about that little argument in there. I just had to put it in. Hope I was able to make it flow. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! (sigh)

**Sedona: What's wrong?**

**Me: Well, it's just that I really need to vent my frustration, but the thing I use to vent my frustration isn't here right now.**

**Sedona: Which would be?**

**Me: Duck-butt.**

**Sedona: So, just find another vent.**

**Me: I CAN'T!! HE BASICALLY SETS ME UP FOR USING HIM AS A VENT!! WHICH IS WHY HE'S PERFECT FOR BEING MY FRUSTRATION VENT!!(begins crying) I need my vent.**

**Sedona: Aw, its okay. He'll be back soon.**

**Sasuke: Hey, I'm back from the contest.**

**Me: YAY IT'S DUCK-BUTT!! (attacks by glomping)**

**Sasuke: GAH!!(runs around trying to get GG off him)**

**Me: (begins singing Toybox) HE'S MY BEST FRIEND, BEST OF ALL BEST FRIENDS! DO YOU HAVE A BEST FRIEND TOO?**

**Sasuke: WHAT?!**

**Me: HE TICKLES IN MY TUMMY!**

**Sasuke: O.o HUH?!**

**Me: HE'S SO YUMMY, YUMMY!! YEAH, YOU SHOULD GET A BEST FRIEND TOO!!**

**Sedona: A BEST FRIEND!!**

**Sasuke: GET. HER. OFF. ME!!**

**Sakura: Don't worry, I've got it covered! (takes out Tobi plushie) Hey GG, look what I got!**

**Me: (sees Tobi plushie) YAY!! TOBI PLUSHIE!! (snatches it and hugs it to death) TOBI'S A GOOD BOY!! THANK YOU SAKURA!!**

**Sakura: No problem!**

**Sasuke: WHAT (pant) THE HECK (pant) WAS THAT?!**

**Sedona: Oh, well, she missed making fun of you, so she kinda went overboard when she saw you.**

**Sasuke: AND THAT'S WHY I WAS ATTACKED?!**

**Sedona: Well it was that, and because she was hyper and has been hanging around Tobi, Cat.Ninja.Assassin, Sakura Ten'nyo, and whole bunch of other hyper fanfiction writers.**

**Sasuke: Now that I'll believe. By the way, where were you Sakura?**

**Sakura: Oh, well October 10****th**** was Naruto's birthday, so I took him out for some ramen today. Also, I went shopping for a present for him, and thought that I might need something to calm GG down. Looks like I was right.**

**Sasuke: What'd you get him?**

**Naruto: (comes bursting in with five coupon books full of free ramen coupons) THANKS FOR THE GIFT SAKURA!! I'LL USE THEM RIGHT AWAY!!(goes out to get ramen)**

**Sakura: That answer your question?**

**Sasuke: Yes. Yes it does.( looks over at GG, who is still hugging the Tobi plushie to death) Think we should disturb her?**

**Sakura: Probably not, unless you have a death wish.**

**Sasuke: Good point. Well-**

**Sedone: CAN I SING THE CLOSING LINE!? AND CAN SAKURA SING WITH ME?! **

**Sasuke/Sakura: …Sure?**

**Sedona: YAY!!(grabs Sakura)**

**Sedona/Sakura:(begins singing closing line) Well then, we hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to review the story, because although she might be super busy, she will definitely find a way to read what you guys have to say about the story. 'Till next time, JAA MATA!!**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey everyone!! I'm GG!**

**Sedona: And I'm Kunoichi Sedona!**

**Me: And we're here to bring you Chapter 10 of the fanfiction that is now part of a C2 Community!!**

**Sedona: REALLY!? WHICH ONE?!**

**Me: The one where people think that this story needs to be burned.**

**Sedona: WHAT?! WHO WOULD ADD YOU TO THAT KIND OF COMMUNITY?!**

**Me: Some person named Reality-Bites. You can read the review that she left.**

**Sedona: I WILL!!(reads review) WHAT!? DOES THAT PERSON HONESTLY THINK THAT?!**

**Me: Yep. **

**Sedona: Sure it may be childish, but COME ON!! IT'S RATED K+ FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE CHILDISH!!And BORING?! HOW DARE HER!! I DEMAND TO TALK TO THIS PERSON!!**

**Me: You can't.**

**Sedona: WHY NOT?!**

**Me: Because Reality-Bites got rid of the send a message feature on her profile.**

**Sedona: SO REALITY-BITES DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE GUTS TO HEAR WHAT WE FANS OF THE STORY HAVE TO SAY?!**

**Me: Pretty much.**

**Sedona: THEN I'LL JUST VISIT ONE OF HER STORIES AND SAY THAT IT'S CHILDISH AND BORING AND THAT IF SHE UPDATES I'LL CRY!!**

**Me: Again, you can't.**

**Sedona: WHY NOT?!**

**Me: She doesn't have any stories to review.**

**Sedona: SO SHE HAS THE NERVE TO SAY THAT THIS STORY IS BAD WHEN SHE'S NEVER WRITTEN ANYTHING HERSELF?!**

**Me: Pretty much.**

**Sedona: THAT'S IT!! I'M GOING TO HUNT HER DOWN!! COME ON SASUKE!!(grabs Sasuke)(storms out of room)**

**Me: Be back for the closing author notes!(door slams). Anyway, here to read the disclaimer today is ROCK LEE!!**

**Lee: YOUTH!!**

**Me: Do you mind reading?**

**Lee: Not at all youthful GG! YOUTH!!  
Lee: The youthful GG does not own the youthful show Naruto. If she did, the youthful cockatoo would be in a youthful world of pain right about now! YOUTH!!**

* * *

"Well, that takes care of that." Sabishii said, sliding off Shine. She landed gracefully on the ground and turned to face them "From here on, we'll be traveling by foot." She said.

"But wouldn't it be faster to travel by riding Shine?" asked Naruto.

"Well yes, but an animal as big as Shine could leave a very obvious trail, even with being careful." She stated. "And we wouldn't want to run into anymore trouble, now would we?" she asked, already knowing the obvious answer.

"Well, you do have a point." Naruto said, sliding off Shine. Sasuke released his hold on Shine. He looked down at Sakura, who was still holding onto him tightly.

"You can let go now." He said. Sakura blushed lightly as she let go.

"R-right. Sorry Sasuke." She said, not looking him in the eyes. He jumped off, landing just as gracefully as Sabishii. He then turned around, hand held out. Sakura looked at it, confused at what he was doing.

He sighed. "Do you want me to help you down or not?" he asked impatiently.

She blushed a little more. "Oh, um, right." She muttered. She took his hand, and he gently pulled her off of Shine. She landed on her feet, making a soft sound on the grass. She stood up straight, but then immediately wished she hadn't, for she felt dizzy and weak. A blur of colors melted to black in her vision as she slowly fell forward. Sasuke caught her by the waist, surprised at how light she had gotten since he had left. He knelt so that she was lying in his arms, head resting against his shoulder.

"Sakura? Hey Sakura wake up." said Sasuke, shaking her shoulder gently.

"Sasuke?" asked Sabishii, a questioning look in her eyes as she came over. She knelt down in front of Sasuke.

"Oi teme, what's wrong with Sakura?" asked Naruto ,coming over quickly.

"I don't know. One minute she was fine, the next she just collapsed." Sasuke said. Sabishii gently nudged Sakura out of his arms and laid her on the ground. She placed her hands over Sakura's stomach. All of a sudden, yellow chakra flared around her hands as she slowly searched for the cause of Sakura's collapse.

"Well what is it?" asked Naruto, voice heavy with worry.

"Don't worry she's fine." Sabishii answered, quickly changing the color of the chakra from a bright yellow to a grass green. "She just has some small internal bleeding with a few cuts and bruises here and there." She frowned slightly, adding her own snow white spirit chakra to the green, creating a swirling pattern of green and white to form around her hands.

"What is it?" asked Sasuke, staring intently at the healing procedure being done.

"Well, it seems like she used up a lot of chakra during the fight. Combining that with her injuries, it's no wonder she fainted." Said Sabishii, still concentrated on Sakura. "What's odd is that most of the her chakra went towards medical jutsu, though her body shows very little accelerated healing."

"Wait, how do you know that?" asked Naruto.

"You remember that yellow chakra?" she asked. They nodded. "That's a special jutsu used by medic nins. Most times, though, it's used by beginners."

"How come?" asked Naruto.

"Well, that jutsu helps indentify and cause of pain, illness, or death. When a medic nin is just beginning, they usually aren't able to identify what's wrong with a person immediately, unlike an experienced one. So, they use that jutsu to identify what it is until they know the symptoms like the back of their hand. However, this jutsu can also tell how much chakra a person has left, how the chakra was used, and if the chakra system has been damaged. In which case, sometimes even experienced medic nins still use that jutsu." She explained, finishing up her work. She stood up, brushing the dust from her pants.

"Sasuke." She said casually.

"Yeah?" he asked, wondering what she could want.

"Let me perform the jutsu on you. I have a feeling that Sakura used her medical skills on you." Sabishii said calmly.

"What makes you think that?" asked Sasuke just as calmly.

"Well, you're the only one who had the slightest chance of having her use a medical jutsu on you, considering you were with her during the fight." Sabishii explained.

"Alright then." He said. Sabishii came closer to him. She placed her hands over his chest.

"This may feel a little strange." She said. All of a sudden, the yellow chakra flared up and Sasuke felt like something was inside him, searching and probing for some unseen answer. It ended as quickly as it had started.

"Well?" asked Naruto.

"There is no doubt about it. Sakura's chakra has definitely been used on him to heal wounds." Sabishii said.

"So, what do we do about Sakura?" asked Naruto, pointing towards his unconscious teammate.

A mischievous glint appeared in Sabishii's eyes. "Well, since Sasuke is the reason why she's like this, I say that he should be the one to watch over her." She said.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly._ "So that's my punishment?"_ he thought. He looked over at Sakura, who was still unconscious on the ground. _"Sounds fair enough."_

"What?! But I want to be the one to watch over Sakura!" whined Naruto. Sasuke smirked at the blonde's childish behavior.

"Don't worry Naruto. Since Sasuke'll be going ahead of us to the camp, he won't be able to hear me explain that jutsu I used." She said.

Sasuke stiffened. _"So that's the real punishment. Very clever."_ He thought.

"Really? I get to learn about it before teme?" asked Naruto excitedly. Sabishii nodded. "Yes! In your face Sasuke!" yelled Naruto, doing a little victory dance. Sasuke ignored his antics while he went to Sakura. He picked her up bridal style and turned to Sabishii.

"So, where am I going?" he asked.

Don't worry. Shine knows the way. Right Shine?" she asked the big panther. He nodded in agreement.

"Alright then." He jumped onto Shine, placing Sakura securely against him. Shine then bound through the trees, growing smaller and smaller every passing second.

"Come on Naruto. We better cover their trail." Sabishii said when Shine had completely disappeared.

"You got it!" said Naruto as he followed Sabishii down the trail.

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**

A/N: Well hope you enjoyed! Next chapter shall be more Naruto and Sabishii related. WARNING!! THERE WILL BE GREAT POINTS OF EMOTIONS!!

**Sedona: THEY KISS?!**

**Me: What? NO THEY DON'T KISS!! We just learn more about Sabishii's past.**

**Sedona: Oh. THEN DO THEY KISS?!**

**Me: THERE IS NO KISSING IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!**

**Sedona: Darn it!**

**Me: Oh yeah, did you hunt Reality-Bites down?**

**Sedona: NO I DIDN'T!! BUT I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I FIND HER!!**

**Me: Okay then. Good luck with that.**

**Sedona: THANKS!! **

**Me: Well, that's all for now! Don't forget to review, because reviews make me a happy GG!! Well, until next time, JAA MATA!!**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey everyone! GG here with-**

**Sedona: (storms into room) UGH!! **

**Me: What's wrong?**

**Sedona: I COULDN'T TRACK HER DOWN!! AND THEN SHE REVIEWED MY STORY SAYING THAT IT WAS BORING!!**

**Me: Aw, it's okay. You and I both know that your story isn't boring. Not to mention all your readers.**

**Sedona: Yeah, I guess. It's just that it's people like her who make people like me go over the edge and into the loony bin.**

**Me: Well, if it makes you feel better, I did something about it.**

**Sedona: Really? What'd you do?**

**Me: Well, I started a counter community.**

**Sedona: A whatie-what? **

**Me: A counter community. It's a community against what one community stands for.**

**Sedona: Well what does she stand for?**

**Me: She thinks that all the fics on her community should burn.**

**Sedona: WHAT?! THAT'S IT! WHAT'S IT CALLED SO I CAN JOIN?**

**Me: The Reality-Bites Retaliation Group.**

**Sedona: I like it. LET ME JOIN!!**

**Me: Alright then! I'll go add you right now! (walks away)**

**Sedona: YAY!!(follows)**

**Sabishii/Shine: She forgot to do the disclaimer. (sigh)  
Sabishii/Shine: GG does not own Naruto. If she did… you really don't want to know what would happen.**

* * *

"So, you wanna know about Rasendori?" she asked when they were halfway through covering up the most noticeable spots that showed that something had come through there. Naruto nodded in anticipation of what he was about to hear. He was excited to finally learn about the amazing jutsu that he had seen when they were escaping.

"Okay then. Well, Rasendori, or Spiraling Bird, is a technique that combines both Rasengan and Chidori", she started, "It is performed by first making the hand signs for Chidori, and while building the chakra needed to perform it, concentrating on making a Rasengan in the center. This will cause the Chidori's chakra to swirl around, creating a chakra formation that is very similar to that of drill. It can also be thought of as looking like a bird's beak when it is spiraling towards its prey."

"So that's where the name came from." Naruto said, brushing some dirt over one of Shine's big paw prints.

She nodded. "Exactly."

"But, where'd you learn those two in the first place?" asked Naruto, curious as to where she learned them. He figured that being on the run from Orochimaru wouldn't have given her that much free time for trying to discover and master two jutsus like Rasengan and Chidori.

"Well, I learned Chidori from having so many visions of Sasuke learning it. After a while, it just stuck, so I decided to try and master it while I was traveling. And let me tell you, trying to learn a jutsu only through visions is almost impossible, even with having seen it about 100 times." She said, recalling all the times she had failed at it before finally getting it right, wishing that someone was there to help her.

"I see. So is that how you learned jutsus while you traveled?" asked Naruto.

"Pretty much." Sabishii answered, fixing the leaves of a plant so that it was natural looking instead of looking like someone had just rushed past it without a second thought.

"That's pretty cool. Now, how'd you learn Rasengan?" asked Naruto, "Did you have a bunch of visions of me becoming even better than the teme?"

"Actually no", she said, "I learned it the same way you did, from the same person."

"Wait, you mean the Pervy Sage taught you?!" exclaimed Naruto, imagining the horrors she must've endured. He could barely stand it himself when it came to how Jiraiya acted around women, so being in her position….He shuddered at the mere thought of it. He then noticed that Sabishii had broken out in laughter, the sound ringing through the forest like the tinkling of bells.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, failing to find the joke in all this.

"It's just, you should've seen the look on your face! It was absolutely priceless!" she said in between her giggles.

"What'd you mean it was priceless? I'm being serious here!" yelled Naruto, becoming annoyed at how Sabishii found his being serious amusing.

"Calm down Naruto. There's no reason to get your headband in a bunch", she said after her laughing fit had subsided, "I just meant that the way you said it, it sounded like you thought he did something with me." She stopped, her tone becoming more serious. "You didn't really think that, did you?" she asked.

"Of course I did! He's always going on about how he needs to do 'research', which is nothing more than spying on girls! How could I not think that?" ranted Naruto, remembering all the times Jiraiya had gotten beaten up due to his peeping.

She sighed. "Don't worry, I'm fine. It's not like he mentally scarred me or anything. Although I don't think I can say the same for you." She added, eyeing him carefully.

"When you spend as much time around him as I do, it's kind of hard not to be traumatized." He said, remembering times when he had to use the Sexy Jutsu to get his attention and also to help "inspire" him to write his "novels".

"Well, you know what they say; you gotta do what you gotta do if you want to get anywhere in life." She said.

"Huh. Never thought of it that way before", said Naruto, "I always thought that it was just because he was a pervert."

"Well, you could think of it that way too. Now come on, we still have work to do." She said, grabbing his arm before and taking him down the path. They continued to work on hiding the marks left by Shine, though it was becoming tougher since there weren't as many big places as before.

"So when did you learn it?" asked Naruto, trying to get the conversation back on the Rasengan.

"I learned it about a few months before the Chunin exams. I'd been traveling in the Land of Tea at the time, and I happened to run into him." She said.

"What were you doing in the Land of Tea?" Naruto asked, making sure to keep an eye open for anything that might alert even the keenest of ninja eyes.

She looked at him, expression grave and serious. "I was sent to assassinate a man known as Yukio Mishima."

Naruto stopped, shocked at what he was hearing. "Wait, you were a…." he trailed off, not wanting to believe what he was thinking.

She nodded. "That's right Naruto. After I escaped Orochimaru, I became an assassin for hire."

"But why?" asked Naruto, still having trouble accepting this fact. Most of the assassins that he met had been cold, ruthless killers. Not warm, friendly people who by fate were chosen to live difficult lives.

"I had to survive somehow. And with the training that I received, I had enough power to take down even the toughest opponents." She said gravely, not looking at him.

"Having to kill for a living the moment you escape the evil that caused you so much pain and suffering", whispered Naruto, "That must've been unbearable."

"At first it was, but it soon became easier and easier", she said calmly, "It's funny that you two think alike, considering that he said almost the exact same thing."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah well, that's Pervy Sage for you. He's always looking out for people in need, no matter what." Sabishii smiled slightly, continuing to hide the ever disappearing trail left by Shine.

"By the way, what was he doing in the Land of Tea anyway?" asked Naruto.

"He was searching for a double agent in Akatsuki. He had heard that the man worked as a spy under Akatsuki, but was willing to give out any information for a very hefty price", she said casually, "Of course, it truly was a shame that I got to him first. He could've been a very useful source of information."

Naruto stood dead still, feeling an anger rise within him. "You mean you…." He began, clenching his fists as he remembered how casually she had said it. _"Almost like she didn't care about taking another life." _He thought.

"That's right", she turned around, staring straight at him with ice-cold emeralds, "Under orders of Akatsuki, I killed him before he could leak any more information about them."

Naruto lost control over his rage and slapped her across her face, sending her skidding to a tree. She rubbed the spot where he hit her, noticing that it was stronger than any of his hits during the fight between Kabuto and them.

"_That's stronger than any of his hits before."_ She thought_ "What's happened to change the power?"_ She looked up, and saw Naruto being consumed by rage. The whisker marks stood out more, his eyes being blood red instead of their sky blue. She stood up only to be slammed into the tree by Naruto, who held her by the throat.

"How can you mention his death so carelessly? After all those deaths, does life mean nothing to you?" he shouted, clenched fist shaking with rage. "And how could you help them? One of their members killed his whole clan in cold blood for crying out loud! Didn't you ever think about who you might be helping?" he yelled this in her face, letting his rage cloud his judgment. She stayed silent, not meeting his gaze. "Well? Answer me!" he yelled, shaking her slightly. She looked up at him, crystal tears running down her face. He loosened his grip slightly, taken aback by the sudden show of emotion.

"I knew who I was helping, Naruto, and I'm not proud of it", she said, voice fierce through her tears, "I hold the lives of anyone I meet close to my heart. But somewhere along the way, I learned that if you don't mention them as people, then the pain and nightmares will go away."

"But you could've waited" argued Naruto, voice softer than before, "You're immortal. You could've survived without having to kill innocent people, or at least until you found another way."

"You're wrong Naruto" she said, staring him straight in the eye, "My immortality feeds on my spirit chakra. If I had done what you said to do, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"I see", he said softly, "So that's why you agreed to let Pervy Sage teach you. You wanted a way to escape the life you were living, and you saw him as the only way."

She nodded. "What you say is true. When he found me, and learned of what had happened, he gave me a choice that I never regret making."

Naruto let her go, letting her slide down the tree. He turned away from her, not wanting to see the pain that he had added onto her already heavy burden. "I'm sorry Sabishii." He said sorrow embedded in his voice.

"It's okay", she said, getting up, "If it makes you feel better, I told him everything I knew about Akatsuki." She said, trying to cheer him up.

"It's not that." Naruto said.

"Then what is it?" asked Sabishii, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked down at her hand, and then looked at her. "You can tell me." She said a sympathetic look in her eyes.

He sighed. "It's just, I hate seeing people suffer. No matter what pain they feel, I always just wanna do whatever I can to help them get better."

"I know how you feel Naruto. But sometimes, there are just some people whose pain can't be healed. In which case, you just have to be there as a shoulder for them to lean on." She said, smiling gently at him.

He smiled back. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He said, starting to cheer up slightly.

She patted his shoulder. "Of course I am. Now come on, I'll tell you more about the jutsu while we clean up", she said, walking down the trail again, "And if you're lucky, I just might tell you some of the ways that you can blackmail Jiraiya into training you." She said, winking back at him.

He grinned. "Alright then." He said. They continued working in silence, neither one wanting to upset the other. It was Naruto who broke the silence with a question that had bothered him for a while now.

"Hey Sabishii", he said.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"How do you think Sasuke and Sakura are doing?" he asked.

"Don't worry. They'll be fine with Shine protecting them." She said.

"Yeah, you're right." Naruto said. They continued like this for the rest of the trail, each lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

Shine sped through the forest, making the trees and bushes nothing more than blurs of green and brown. Sasuke sat on him gripping the fur of the beast tightly with one hand, the other cradling his still unconscious teammate. He looked down at her face, which even when sleeping looked like it was in deep thought of a troubling matter.

"Hey Shine", he said, "Are we almost there yet?"

The panther growled, almost as if he was saying that they still had a ways to go.

"Hn." He repositioned Sakura, trying to make her more comfortable. The sudden movements caused her to stir slightly.

"Mmm… Sasuke…" she mumbled, still sleeping.

"Sakura?" he asked, seeing if she would wake up. She remained completely still.

"_I have to protect her, no matter what."_ He thought. _"I promised Sabishii that I would." _

**

* * *

**

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! AND WE ACCEPT ALL WHO WANT TO JOIN THE COMMUNITY!!

**Sedona: YEAH!! SO JOIN US IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST HER!!**

**Me: YEAH!! BECAUSE I READ SOME OF THOSE STORIES!! And they DO NOT deserve to burn!**

**Sedona: YEAH!! AND IF THEY DO BURN, I SHALL BURN ALL FLAMERS TO A CRISP!!**

**Me: YE-Wait, WHAT?!**

**Sedona: YOU HEARD ME!!**

**Me: But some flamers are good!**

**Sedona: NO THEY AREN'T!! FLAMERS ARE THE REASON WHY HOUSES GET BURNED DOWN!!**

**Me: You're thinking of arsonists! **

**Sedona: Oh. WELL I STILL MEAN WHAT I SAY!!**

**Me: How much sugar have you had today?**

**Sedona: ENOUGH TO KILL A BULL ELEPHANT!!**

**Me: Oh dear.**

**Sedona: DEER?! WHERE?!(sees Sasuke) OH MY GOSH IT'S THE LEGENDARY BLACK COCKATOO!!**

**Sasuke: Huh?**

**Sedona: (grabs net) I'M GONNA CATCH YOU AND SELL YOU TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC!!(begins chasing)**

**Sasuke: (running away) GET HER AWAY FROM ME!!**

**Me: SEDONA!! CALM DOWN!!(chases after)**

**Sabishii/Shine: What is this, make Sabishii do all the work day? UGH!! Well, that's all for now! Please review, because all though she's fighting back against Reality-Bites, she'll still be able to read your reviews! And if you want to be part of this community and help fight while enjoying the fics that were saved from Reality-Bites and her hate community, send a review saying so! Also, next chapter will be a flashback. I REPEAT. NEXT CHAPTER IS A FLASHBACK. Well, until next time, JAA MATA!!**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey everyone! GG here with chapter 12! But before that, I have some things I feel I must say. First, Kunoichi Sedona won't be here in this chapter because she's gone camping. (DON'T GET EATEN BY A BEAR SEDONA!!) Second, sorry about the rants I've put in some of the chapters. It was probably annoying to read as I complained about things and people. (mostly people. You know who you are) Third, should I keep writing these long author notes? I only do it because I figure the chapters are probably too short for your liking, so to try and make it up to you, the readers, I type up these little ideas that pop up into that wonderful little thing I call my brain. But if you find them annoying, just say so. If I don't get any feedback saying otherwise, I'll continue with the author notes. Well, that's pretty much it. Now, without further ado, chapter 12.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't be here complaining about meaningless things and people. Instead, I'd be in my Japanese mansion, complaining about meaningless things and people.**

* * *

The park is calm and cool as the laughter of children rings through the air. Two children in particular can be seen sitting among the trees, laughing and talking about their lives.

"So, what was your old village like?" asked Sasuke, curious as to where she used to live.

"Well, it was a big place that was in the Land of Sunshine." Sabishii said, scratching Shine's head as he dozed on her lap.

"Land of Sunshine?" repeated Sasuke.

She nodded. "Yep! The village I came from was the great village Hidden in the Lights!"She announced proudly.

"Huh, I've never heard of that one before", he said, "Did you like it?"

"I loved it! It was always warm, bright, and sunny! And whenever it would rain, the sun would still be shining!" She said, describing her old home. "Sometimes my mommy and daddy would take me down to the beach, and then we'd just look out across the sea. My daddy always said that across that sea were strange and exciting new places, filled with strange and exciting new people!" she said, remembering a time before they died. "And we'd always come right when the sun set, so that we'd see all the pretty colors that the sun made on the water."

"Do you ever miss it?" asked Sasuke.

"Well, sometimes. I mean, no matter how great your new home is, if you left your old one, you'd still miss it. Right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." He replied. Suddenly, Shine's head perked up. He jumped off of Sabishii's lap and ran into the forest.

"Come back Shine!" yelled Sabishii. She jumped from her perch on in one of the trees and gave chase to the small kitten.

"Hey wait up!" yelled Sasuke, running after them. He ran through the trees, trying to see where his friend had run off to.

"_Where could she be?"_ he thought. He suddenly spotted her crouched behind a bush. He ran up to her, ready for an explanation.

"Hey! There you a…" he was cut off by Sabishii's hand covering his mouth.

"Shh!" she said, putting a finger to her lips. She pointed in the direction of what she had been watching. He looked in that direction of her finger and saw a pink haired girl. He listened closely and was able to hear the quiet sobs coming from her. He nodded that he understood, which made Sabishii remove her hand.

"So, who is she?" whispered Sabishii.

"How should I know?" he whispered back.

"Well, don't you two go to the same school?" she asked.

"Maybe. Let me think." He mentally went over the list of students in his classes.

"_Shikamaru…no, Choji….no, Kiba….no, TenTen….no, Hinata….no, Naruto….DEFINITE no, Sakura…that's it!"_

"Sakura. Sakura Haruno." He said.

"Sakura huh? That's a really pretty name." said Sabishii. She glanced over at a field and saw a blonde haired girl picking flowers. She stood up and began walking towards her.

"Where are you going?" asked Sasuke.

"Don't worry, I'll be back. Just stay here for a bit." She said over her shoulder, and with that left with Shine at her heels.

He sighed. _"She sure can't sit still for too long."_ He thought. He then turned his attention back towards the crying form of Sakura.

"_I wonder why she's crying?"_ he thought. Her small body shook from the force of her sobs. Her pink hair was like a shroud around her, hiding her face from those who might see her.

He frowned. _"If I can help it, I don' want to see her cry like that ever again." _He thought.

* * *

"This'll look great with that one!" said a blonde girl, blue eyes glittering with happiness.

"Hey!" yelled a voice.

"Huh?" said the girl, looking towards the voice. She saw a girl with brown hair tied back in a low ponytail running towards her, a small kitten right on her heels.

"Oh hi!" she said when the other girl got close enough.

"Hi! My name's Sabishii. And this is Shine!" she said, holding up the kitten for the blonde to see.

"Meow." Shine greeted.

"What's your name?" asked Sabishii.

"My name's Ino." She replied.

"Nice to meet you Ino!" said Sabishii, shaking her hand.

"Same here." She said.

"Hey, do you see that girl over there?" asked Sabishii, pointing towards Sakura.

Ino nodded. "Yeah I see her. What about her?"

"Well, I was just thinking that she looked like she could use a friend." Sabishii mentioned casually.

"Then why don't you go over there?" asked Ino, wondering why this girl had mentioned Sakura.

"Well, I'm not from around here, and my daddy said that we would be leaving soon." She explained, lying about her father saying such a thing. It was true that she was going to leave soon, but what she was leaving for was something much more sinister. "And then I saw you over here. And I thought you looked like a really good friend to someone who needs one." She finished, hoping that she'd get a good answer.

Ino glanced at Sakura, who was still crying. "Well, it does seem like a good idea", she said, "Sure, why not?"

"YAY!" she said, jumping up and down. Ino began walking towards Sakura when Sabishii grabbed her wrist.

"What is it?" asked Ino.

"Here, you'll need this." Sabishii said. She untied the red ribbon that was holding her hair back. She handed it to Ino, who looked at it confused.

"Why do I need this?" she asked.

"You'll see. Now go!" she said, pushing Ino towards Sakura. When Ino turned around to protest about being pushed, she only saw the field that she had been standing in.

"_That girl's stranger than that Naruto kid."_ Ino thought as she walked over to Sakura.

* * *

Sasuke continued to watch as Sakura cried.

"_Will she ever stop?"_ he thought, becoming somewhat worried at the fact that she seemed like she couldn't stop crying. He then saw a blonde girl walking towards her.

"_I wonder who that is."_ Sasuke thought as he watched the two speak to each other. He then saw the blonde take out a red ribbon and tie it in Sakura's hair so that it wouldn't cover her face. When she moved away, Sasuke was finally able to see Sakura's face clearly.

"_She'd got really nice eyes."_ He thought as he saw Sakura's jade eyes for the first time. He watched as Sakura wiped her tears away, and actually began to smile.

He smiled gently. _"She's really pretty when she smiles." _The pair then got up and began to leave. Sasuke sighed, a bit sad that he may never see her like that again.

"You like her don't you?" teased a voice behind him. He jumped and turned around to see Sabishii and Shine in front of him, both with mischievous grins on their faces.

He blushed. "No I don't." he stated calmly.

"Oh really?" said Sabishii, arching one of her eyebrows.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then how come your face is red?" she asked.

He blushed more. "Oh it's, um, sunburn." He said quickly.

"Uh-huh, sure it is." She said. She plopped herself down next to him. Shine crawled back into her lap, resuming his napping position.

"It's okay if you like her you know." She said, scratching behind Shine's ears, He purred softly as her fingers danced across his fur.

"I know that." He said indignantly.

"Then why do you act like it isn't?" she asked.

He frowned. "What'd you mean?" he asked, confused.

She sighed. "What I mean is how come you won't admit you like her even though it's really easy to see that you do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said childishly.

"Come on Sasuke. Anyone who looks in your eyes can see you feel something for her." She said, not letting up.

He blushed slightly. "Really?" he asked quietly. She nodded.

He sighed. "Okay, maybe I do like her." He mumbled quietly.

A smug smirk crossed Sabishii's face. "I knew it." She said proudly. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the breeze and how it brushed through the tree leaves.

"Hey Sasuke?" asked Sabishii.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Can I ask you to do something for me?" she asked.

"Sure, go ahead." He said, curious as to what she wanted him to do.

"I want you to promise me something." She said.

"What do I have to promise?" he asked, even more interested than before.

"I want you to promise me that no matter what, you'll always protect Sakura, and that you'll never be the one to hurt her. And if you do hurt her, promise me that you'll always have valid reasons for doing so." She said.

He looked at her. "Why do you want me to promise that?" he asked, taken aback by this.

"Come on Sasuke. Please?" Sabishii begged, eyes pleading with him to just agree.

He sighed. "Alright. I promise."

Her face brightened. "Yay! Thanks Sasuke!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

"Sure, no problem", he said, "Now, could you please let me go? I kind of can't breathe."

"Oh sorry!" she said, letting him go immediately.

He smiled. "It's okay." He said, turning his attention back to the serenity of the surrounding area.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed! If this seems a little odd to you, I wrote it at like 2 in the morning. So yeah.

**Sasuke: It's not any odder than the other crap you think about.**

**Me :(grabs baseball bat) **

**Sasuke: Crap! (runs away)**

**Me: YEAH YOU BETTER RUN!!(gives chase)**

**Sabishii/Shine: (finishing up speech)-which is why it's always good to eat ramen at 9:01 p.m.**

**Naruto: Ah, I see. Very interesting theory. So what you're saying is that by eating Ichiraku at 9:01 instead of 9, I'll be able to understand more of the subtle flavors and textures of the noodles?**

**Sabishii/Shine: Exactly.**

**Sakura: How'd we get on this topic again?**

**Naruto: Not too sure, but I like it!**

**Sasuke:(slams door) You guys gotta hide me!**

**Sabishii/Shine: What'd you do to upset GG now?**

**Sasuke: I DON'T KNOW!! Just please, you've gotta hide me!**

**Sabishii/Shine: Love to, but I think that it's hilarious when she comes after you with a butter knife.**

**Sasuke: Naruto?**

**Naruto: Sorry, but I gotta go with Sabishii on this one. Also, I'm still miffed about you abandoning the village.**

**Sasuke: AW COME ON!! Wait, Sakura! Will you hide me?**

**Sakura: Maybe.**

**Sasuke: O.o PLEASE!! I'LL DO ANYTHING!!**

**Sakura: Anything?**

**Sabishii/Shine: Oh this should be good.(grabs popcorn flavored ramen)**

**Naruto: GIVE ME SOME OF THAT!!**

**Sabishii/Shine: Here!(tosses him one)**

**Naruto: THANKS!!**

**Sasuke: Yes, anything! Now hurry!**

**Sakura: Okay, go hide in that closet way over there.(points to one that's never been touched)**

**Sasuke: THANK YOU!!(runs and hides)**

**Naruto: Here she comes!**

**Me: Hey everyone! Isn't it a lovely day to be alive?**

**Everybody: O.o**

**Sakura: Aren't you mad at Sasuke?**

**Me: No. Why do you ask?**

**Sakura: No reason.**

**Me: Okay. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave reviews, because my inbox is lonely. Also, the story is almost done, so if the chapter lengths are a little screwy, you'll know why. Well, until next time JAA MATA!! **


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm GG!**

**Sedona: (comes in with backpack) And I'm Kunoichi Sedona who has just returned from the great outdoors!**

**Me: SEDONA!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!(gives big hug)**

**Sedona: Yes I am. And why is Sasuke in the closet?**

**Me: I don't know. Something to do with the last chapter and the author notes though.**

**Sedona: Oh well. So, what're we doing?**

**Me: Well, I'm about ready to move onto the disclaimer, since I didn't expect you back so soon.**

**Sedona: I told you I would be!**

**Me: Yeah, but I forgot.**

**Sedona:(sigh) Oh well, it doesn't matter. Let's just get going!**

**Me: YAY!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke would cower in fear at the mere mention of my name! But since he doesn't, guess what that means. IT MEANS I DON'T OWN NARUTO!!**

* * *

Shine stopped in front of a cave, indicating that this was where they would be making camp. Sasuke slid off Shine and landed silently, Sakura still in his arms.

"Thanks." He said. Shine nodded his head in understanding, and proceeded to change back into his cat form. Sasuke entered the cave and saw that three packs were lined up against the cave wall. He walked over to them and knelt in front of them.

"_Now which one is Sakura's?" _he thought, looking at the bags. He spotted Sakura's bag and went to unzip it. Cradling her in one arm, he unzipped it and searched through her things until he came across her sleeping bag. He pulled it out and unrolled it, placing it on the ground. He then gently lowered Sakura onto it, carefully placing her so as not to hurt her any further. When she was on the sleeping bag, Sasuke leaned against the cave wall and watched her sleeping form.

She stirred slightly. "Mhm….Sasuke…" she mumbled.

"Sakura?" he asked, hoping to get a better response this time.

"Sasuke….don't…." she mumbled, still sleeping.

"_Is she dreaming about me?" _he thought. He leaned closer to her so that he could hear her better.

"Please….don't….I love you…" she muttered. A single tear began to roll down her face.

His expression softened._ "So she's dreaming about that night."_ He thought, referring to the night he left Konoha. He wiped away the tear with his thumb.

"_Can't say I blame her though. I'd be surprised if she didn't dream about it after what I must've done to her."_ He thought. He felt something nudge his hand. He looked down and saw that Shine was in his cat form, looking right up at him.

"Meow." He said a look in his eyes that said _you know it, I know it, and even Naruto knows it! Now just accept it._

Sasuke sighed. "You're right," he said, scratching the cat behind the ears, "It is true that I-"

"Have duck-butt hair?" interrupted a voice. Sasuke turned around and saw Sabishii standing at the entrance to the cave.

"When did you get here?" he asked. "And where's Naruto?"

"Oh, I got here about five minutes ago. I just didn't want to disturb such a touching moment." She said, plopping down next to him. "As for Naruto, long story short, we had a race and he's about two minutes behind." She said smiling. "And he now owes me two free meals at Ichiraku."

"He actually bet that he could beat you?" asked Sasuke. She nodded. "That dobe. Everyone knows not to bet against someone with supernatural powers."

"Everyone except Naruto." She said. Shine crawled into her lap as she began to stroke his head.

"So, what'cha doing?" she asked.

"Nothing." He replied, annoyed by her prying.

"Nothing huh?" she asked. He nodded. "Well that's odd, because not too long ago, it sounded like a whole lot of something."

"Oh really?" he asked, wanting her to leave him alone.

"Yep. And that whole lot of something sounded like a confession of feelings towards certain people." She said, jerking her thumb slightly in the direction of Sakura.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, wishing she'd drop it.

"Oh, I think you do," she said, "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, Mr. I-like-Sakura-but-care-more-about-my-revenge-and-duck butt-hair-than-about-how-I-feel-towards-her."

"Well you're wrong." He said coldly. "I don't have any feelings towards her. And I don't have duck-butt hair either."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't"

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"_Yes,_ you do."

"_No_, I don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Don't." she said, trying to confuse him.

"Do." He said, not realizing his mistake.

"Aha, I knew it!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "You do have feelings towards her!"

"No I don't! You tricked me!" he said, annoyance turning into anger.

"Sasuke, just swallow that stupid little thing you call pride and admit it." She said, exasperated. "You said it when you were nine, now why can't you say it now? That's only, what, a four year difference?"

"Four years can change a person." He said quietly.

She sighed. "And people call _you_ a prodigy? Yeah, you're a prodigy all right. A prodigal pain in the butt."

He muttered something that sounded like "you're a bigger pain than me any day."

"How people put up with you is a mystery to me!" she said, throwing her hands in the air.

"You're not going to shut up until I say it, are you?" he asked.

"Pretty much." She said, grinning.

He sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you._ If _you keep it a quiet about it afterwards. Got it?" he asked.

"Got it!" she replied happily.

"Alright then. The truth is my feelings towards her haven't changed. I still l-"

"Hey!" yelled Naruto, running in just then. "What'd I miss?"

"Naruto, you idiot! Sasuke was just about to say that he li-"

"Like to talk with Sabishii alone for about a minute." Sasuke interrupted, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Isn't that right Sabishii?" asked Sasuke. She glared at him, but nodded her head yes.

"Oh, okay then." Naruto said. "Why don't you two go outside and talk? I'll keep watch over Sakura while you're gone."

"Hn." Sasuke said, while Sabishii gave muffled thanks due to Sasuke's hand over her mouth. They both got up and left, Shine following right after them.

"What was all that about?" asked Naruto out loud. Sakura sighed in her sleep, almost like she was saying_ you really don't want to know._

* * *

They walked a bit before stopping in a clearing about 5 feet away. When they reached it, Sasuke removed his hand and prepared himself for Sabishii's annoyance.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked, aggravation with just a hint of anger flashing through her eyes.

"I had to. You were about to tell him, even though you said you wouldn't." replied Sasuke coolly.

"Yeah, but technically I wasn't doing anything wrong." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What'd you mean, you didn't do anything?" he asked.

"Well, you said that I couldn't tell anyone after you told me you liked her. You never said anything about not saying it in the middle of your confession." She said, smiling smugly. "So technically, you have no reason to be mad at me."

He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to punch her. _"Damn loopholes."_ He thought.

"You know, you should really tell her how you feel." She said, looking at the trees. "It would save you two a lot of time and trouble."

"I'll tell her when I'm ready to tell her." He said.

"Sometimes sooner is better than later." Sabishii mentioned casually.

"Why are you so adamant about this?" he asked angrily. An idea dawned upon him almost instantly.

"You know something, don't you?" he asked.

"Who? Me?" she asked, pointing a finger at herself. "No, I don't know anything. And don't make a comment on that last remark." She said, seeing him about to say something.

"Sabishii…" he growled warningly.

She sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you."

"You…did…WHAT?!" Sasuke yelled, disturbing what little peace the forest had left when he heard what she said.

* * *

Naruto watched as Sakura slept peacefully. The sounds of the forest made a soothing background noise as the sun began to set.

Naruto yawned slightly. _"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to just close my eyes for just a minute."_ He thought, leaning against the wall. He was just about to drift off to sleep when he suddenly heard a very loud and very angry voice.

"WHAT?!" yelled the voice.

Naruto bolted upright, startled by the noise. "Gah! I'm awake! I'm awake!" he yelled frantically. He looked around, wondering where the sound came from.

"Wonder what that was about?" thought Naruto out loud.

"Na…Naruto?" asked a voice quietly.

Naruto suddenly became alert when he heard his name. He looked behind him to see that Sakura had woken up, and was in a sitting position.

"Oh, hey Sakura!" he said cheerfully.

She smiled at him. "Hey Naruto."

"So how're you feeling?" he asked, concerned about her after how she fainted.

"I feel fine, don't worry." She replied. She looked around, slightly confused. "Where am I? And what happened?"

"Well, you kinda passed out after we escaped. So Sasuke went ahead of us with Shine and brought you here." Naruto explained. The mental image of Sasuke holding her close to him while riding Shine made her blush lightly, though not enough for Naruto to see.

"Oh well, I guess I should go and thank him. Do you know where he is?" asked Sakura when she failed to see Sasuke in the cave with them.

"He and Sabishii left a little while ago. He said something about wanting to talk to her in private."Naruto said. Sakura got up.

"Hey, where're you going Sakura?" asked Naruto as she walked towards the entrance.

"I'm going to find him so that I can thank him." She said.

"You want me to come with?" asked Naruto.

She shook her head. "No, I'll be fine."

"Okay then," Said Naruto, leaning back against the wall, "Just shout if you need me."

She smiled. "Will do Naruto." She left the cave, standing out in the setting sun.

"_Now I wonder where he is?"_ she thought. She then heard noises and a voice that sounded like Sasuke. She headed off in that direction, wondering what they were doing.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed!

**Sasuke:(come out of closet with broom in hand) GET GOING WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER!! OR I WILL**** HURT YOU WITH MY AWESOME BROOM SKILLS!!**

**Me:(pulls mop out of nowhere) Ha, your broom skills are no match for my superior mop skills!**

**Sasuke: You wanna bet?**

**Me: Bring it, duck butt!**

**Sedona: RAMEN! GET YOUR POPCORN FLAVORED RAMEN!!**

**Naruto/Sabishii: YAY!!**

**Sasuke:(running at GG) AAAAAHHHH!!**

**Me:(running towards Sasuke) KYAAAAAAAAA!!**

**Sasuke/Me:(about to clash)**

**Sakura: We're sorry, but the following fight has been deemed to violent and insane for the viewers. So instead, please enjoy the following closing line. Ahem. Well, guess this wraps this up. Next chapter may be short, so just bear with it. Also, review, because without you people out there, GG would never feel so inspired to write. Well, until next time JAA MATA!! WOW, YOU SHOULD REALLY SEE THIS FIGHT!!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Naruto: Wow, what a fight!**

**Sedona: I know. I've never seen anything like it.**

**Me: Shouldn't we be reading the disclaimer?**

**Naruto: Sure why not?**

**Me: Well then get reading!**

**Naruto: Right…  
Naruto: GG does not own Naruto. If she did, I'd be paired up with Hinata right now. **

**Sedona: Wait, if you want him with Hinata, then why is he with your OC?**

**Me: Because it worked for the story. And speaking of which, LET'S GO!!**

* * *

Sasuke was furious. He had just learned why Sabishii wanted him to say it already. As it turned out, Sabishii had used the promise he made as a kid and used it to bind him and Sakura together. The bind had made it so that their true feelings towards each other were shown, though Sasuke was better at hiding them. And now he was trying to kill Sabishii for doing something as stupid and irresponsible as this. He threw a kunai straight at her, missing only by a few inches.

"Hey! Watch where you're throwing those things!" she yelled, dodging one aimed straight for her head. Shine watched the two fight with an amused expression on his face.

"I am. It's just that the target keeps moving." He said, preparing to do the Phoenix Flower Jutsu.

"Eep!" she yelled, rolling out of the way of the fire. Shine chuckled at the fight between them.

"Oh, you be quiet!" she yelled at the cat. She stood up, only to have Sasuke grab the collar of her shirt and yank her closer to his face.

"Now, tell me what I need to do to release this bind, or I _will_ find a way to kill you." Sasuke threatened, eyes a blazing Sharingan red.

She held up her hands. "Now Sasuke, just calm down."

"I am calm." He said through gritted teeth.

"No you're not. You'll be calm when you let go of me and deactivate your Sharingan." She said.

He deactivated the Sharingan and let go of her roughly. "Now tell me what I have to do."

She dusted herself off. "Well, since it binds you two together through your emotions, there are two ways to release it."

"What's the first one?" Sasuke asked.

"The first, which is my personal favorite, is for you to tell her that you love her as much as she loves you. Which we all know is true." She added in a playful tone.

He glared at her. "No."

She sighed. "Fine, be that way. The second is for you to break her heart without any regrets about it."

"I did that the night I left."Sasuke replied coolly.

"Actually, you didn't." said Sabishii.

Sasuke stared at her, surprised at hearing this. "What'd you mean I didn't?"

"You felt bad for having to do that to her," started Sabishii, "You may have acted like you didn't care, but the bind was able to find hints of some kind of regret. This means that you and her are still bound together."

"So you're saying that I have to tell her that I either hate her or love her, in order to release the bind." Sasuke said.

She nodded. "Pretty much."

He thought over the two choices carefully. _"On the one hand, if I tell her she'd be happy and I'd be free of this burden,"_ Sasuke thought, _"But then she'd be in danger of getting killed by Itachi. On the other hand, if I don't tell her, she'd be protected from Itachi. But then she'd be sad and probably hate me for the rest of her life."_ He weighed them carefully, seeing which one was the better choice, until he finally came to his decision.

"I've made my choice." He said.

"Well, which is it?" asked Sabishii impatiently, hoping that it would be her favorite choice.

'I'll tell Sakura that I hate her." He said quietly. He then heard a soft gasp that did not belong to Sabishii. He turned around and saw Sakura looking at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Idiot." Sabishii muttered. Shine gave a slight nod.

"S-sakura I-" he started, but was cut off by Sakura.

"It's alright Sasuke," she said, the tears still running down her face, "I always thought you hated me. At least now I know that I can stop chasing after you without a second thought."

"No, Sakura, you've got it all wrong. I don't-"

"It's alright Sasuke. I'm fine, really." She said, cutting him off again. "I better get back to Naruto before he starts to worry too much." She said. She then turned and left quickly.

"Sakura wait!" he called, but she either ignored him or didn't hear him.

"Well Sasuke, are you happy now?" asked Sabishii sarcastically.

He clenched his fists. "Why didn't you tell me she was there?" he demanded.

"I thought you were going to say that you love her," said Sabishii, "How was I supposed to know that you'd do the exact opposite?"

He sighed. "Well now I'll have to explain to her how it was for her own good when we get back to Naruto."

"She won't be there." Sabishii stated.

He froze. "What'd you mean, she won't be there?" he asked.

"She's not going back to Naruto. She's going to a secluded spot near here to cry over your rejection of her." Sabishii said.

"Fine. Where is she?" he asked.

"About 20 feet north of here. Though I'd hurry if I was you." She added.

"And why's that?" he asked.

"Because the bind I used is a very special kind of binding. It's normally only used when someone is absolutely sure that the love between two people can survive even the greatest of extremes, and even then it may backfire." She explained.

"I still don't see the reason why I need to hurry." He said, still wondering what she was getting at.

"Well then, let me finish," she said, "The bind activates through two emotions; love and hate. When the two who are bound together confess feelings of love, the bind is released, leaving them with a bond that can never be severed. However, when one breaks the heart of the other without regret, the bind finds that person as a hindrance to the other's happiness, and shall dispose of them immediately."

His eyes widened slightly. "You don't mean…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

She nodded. "That's right Sasuke. Because of what you said, the bind has found Sakura to be a hindrance to you, and shall therefore kill her."

* * *

She ran blindly, not caring where she went. She hadn't gone back to Naruto like she said. How could she, after hearing what Sasuke said and looking the way she did? If Naruto saw her like this, he'd probably kill the teammate that they had tried so desperately to get back. She tripped over something, catching he balance before she fell. She kept running, trying to get away from the sound of his voice saying those words.

"_I hate her."_ Those three little words kept running through her mind as she ran, her tears leaving an unseen path of heartache and sadness. She soon saw a clearing ahead of her. She ran right for it, bursting into the open air. She leaned against a tree as she took shuddering breaths to try and calm herself down.

"_I always thought he never liked me. So why am I taking this so hard?_ She thought to herself.

"_Because you never really thought that he hated you. You always thought that he just didn't really like you." _Said a voice deep within her.

She sighed. _"It's true. I never once thought that he disliked me so much that it would actually turn into hatred."_ She pushed off the tree she was leaning on._ "Guess I better head back."_ She thought. She took a few steps forward, only to feel a burning pain in her stomach. She clutched her stomach, gasping as the pain spread rapidly through her body. She fell to her knees, coughs racking her body. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and saw that it was covered in blood.

"_What's happening?" _she thought, alarmed at whatever was going on.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked a voice. Sakura's head shot up, searching for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" she called, drawing a kunai. "Show yourself!" A great gust of wind swept through the area, causing the debris to fly everywhere. Sakura shielded her face from it with her arms. When the wind died down, Sakura hesitantly removed her arms from their protective position and gasped at the sight before her. A great dragon whose white scales shone like glittering diamonds in the moonlight, each one as beautiful and perfect as the last. Eyes that were crystal blue pools of ancient wisdom stared straight at her, making her feel slightly exposed under his gaze.

"W-Who are you?" she asked, frightened by the beast.

"I am Ryu, great spirit of the afterlife. And I have come for you, Sakura Haruno." He said voice like rich velvet, full of deep power and authority.

"Why?" she whispered. _"What could I have done?"_ she thought.

"Because a bind placed upon you and Sasuke Uchiha has decided to rid him of the hindrance to his happiness." He replied coolly.

Her eyes widened. "Wh-what?" she asked, shocked at what she was hearing.

"Come child, I know you're not deaf. I know that you've heard that your time has come." He said, slowly moving towards her.

She backed away. "No it can't be true." She said, shaking with fear.

"Come now, just stay still and accept it. It'll be over before you know it." He said, moving towards her faster.

"No! Stay away from me!" she yelled. She felt something scaly wrap around her ankles. She looked down and saw that Ryu's tail had wrapped itself around her ankles, rooting her to the spot. She began clawing at it, trying to get it to release her, but to no avail.

"Please stop that. It's getting very annoying." He said, breath fanning her face. She turned and met the clear blue eyes of Ryu. Her heart rate increased rapidly as her breathing became labored. She gasped as she felt something being ripped from her body. She began to struggle, trying to get away. However, Ryu's tail had become wrapped around her body, making it impossible to move.

"Relax. It's almost done." He said soothingly. She suddenly felt something detach itself from her, and saw that her spirit had been taken away from her body. Sakura felt her consciousness begin to fade away. Her vision became blurry as she found it harder to keep her eyes open.

"_Sas….uke…" _she thought dimly, a single tear rolling down her face. Her head fell forward as her heart beat slowly quieted and her breathing ceased. Ryu smiled gently as he placed the dead girl upon the ground.

"My work here is done." He said ,and with that left in a great gust of wind.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Sasuke:(breaks out of closet) I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!**

**Me: WHAT?! ME? WHY?!**

**Sasuke: READ YOUR STUPID FIC!!**

**Me: NOT MY FAULT IT WORKED!!**

**Sasuke: YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WROTE IT!! NOW I DEMAND YOU FINISH!!**

**Me: I CAN'T THOUGH!! I ALREADY UPDATED THE TWO CHAPTERS FOR THE WEEKEND!!**

**Sasuke: I DON'T CARE!! UPDATE NOW!!**

**Me: Fine. But ONLY because I want to finish this too. And because I'm going camping next weekend.**

**Sasuke: Thank you. Now, say your closing line and get working.**

**Me: So bossy. Anyway, next chapter shall be the ALMIGHTY FINAL CHAPTER!! Review, because I don't want to feel like an idiot who's been updating for absolutely no one. Well, until next time, JAA MATA!!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Sasuke: Hurry up already!**

**Me: I'm typing, I'm typing! Geez, give me a break.**

**Sedona: Hey guys! What'cha doing?**

**Sasuke: I'm TRYING to get her to type faster so that I can find out how Sakura and I work out. BUT SHE JUST ISN'T BEING COOPERATIVE!!**

**Sedona: Geez Sasuke, chill. It's only fanfiction. The one you want to talk to is Kishimoto.**

**Sasuke: Well right now, all I care about is her finishing. NOW TYPE FASTER!!**

**Me: IF YOU SHUT UP, THEN MAYBE I WOULD!!**

**Sabishii/Shine: Alright, I heard yelling. What's going on?**

**Sasuke: Tell her to type faster!**

**Sedona: IT'S JUST FANFICTION!!**

**Sasuke: I DON'T CARE!!**

**Naruto: What's going on?**

**Sabishii/Shine: I'm not sure.**

**Sauske: I ALREADY TOLD YOU!! TELL HER TO TYPE FASTER!!**

**Sedona: FOR THE LOVE OF FANDOM, IT'S JUST FANFICTION DUCK-BUTT!! GET OVER IT!!**

**Sasuke: NO!!**

**Sakura: Ugh, what're we arguing about now?**

**Naruto: Not the slightest clue.**

**Sasuke: SAKURA!! TELL HER TO TYPE FASTER!!**

**Sedona: TALK TO KISHIMOTO ABOUT THIS!! FANFICTION DOES NOTHING TO HELP THE ACTUAL STORY!!**

**Sasuke: OH YEAH?**

**Me: Guys?**

**Sedona: YEAH!!  
**

**Me: GUYS?**

**Sasuke: PROVE IT!!**

**Me: LET ME TALK, GOSH DARN IT!!**

**Everybody: WHAT?!**

**Me: It's up if you guys care. **

**Sasuke: WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND THE DISCLAIMER AND GET GOING!!**

**Me: YOU GOT IT, DUCK-BUTT!! HEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOOO People who stuck with me this long! I'm GG!**

**Sedona: I'm Kunoichi Sedona!**

**Sabishii: I'm Sabishii. And this is Shine!**

**Shine: Meow!**

**Naruto: Naruto's the name, BELIEVE IT!!**

**Sakura: Sakura Haruno, at your service.**

**Sasuke: You know who I am. NOW GET TO THE STORY!!**

**Me: Alright, alright, geez. Anyway, welcome to the FINAL CHAPTER!! This extremely long chapter shall be the conclusion of my first ever fic, A Love Meant to be. So read and enjoy. TO THE DISCLAIMER!!**

**Disclaimer: Oh how I wish it were true. But sadly, no. I do not own Naruto. But, I DO own the plot and all the author notes that were used to create this story. SO NO ONE STEAL IT, OR YOU SHALL HAVE TO PAY ME A MILLION DOLLARS DUE TO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!! MWUHAHAHAHAHHA!!**

* * *

Sasuke ran through the woods as quickly as he could, trying to get to Sakura before the effects of the bind began taking their toll on her. He thought over the conversation that he had just had with Sabishii a few minutes ago.

_He looked at her incredulously. "Are you telling me that you set a bind on us that could've potentially killed her?"_

_She nodded. "That's correct. But at the time I set it, I thought that you'd either tell her how you truly felt, or just not tell her at all. I never once thought you'd say that you hate her." She said._

"_I guarded myself against those emotions the moment you left the village," he said coldly, "I swore that I'd never feel that close to someone again. Because if they ever left me, the pain would be too much to bear."_

"_And yet you did Sasuke," pointed out Sabishii, "You felt that and something more towards her. And now because of you guarding your emotions, you'll have to feel that pain all over again."_

_He clenched his fist. __**"There has to be a way to save her."**__ He thought. An idea suddenly came to mind._

"_You said that I'd have to break her heart without regret for the bind to work, right?" he asked._

"_Yes that's right. Why?' she asked._

"_What if I was able to tell her before the bind could affect her. Then would I be able to save her?" he asked._

"_Well ,it's a long shot ,but it might work." Sabishii said. "Though I'd leave now if I was you."_

_He nodded. "Right." He left quickly in search of Sakura._

* * *

Sabishii sighed, lost in her thoughts concerning his plan.

"Meow." Shine said, giving her an accusatory glance.

"I know Shine. I shouldn't have told him to go to her. But I just didn't have the heart to tell him that he'd be too late," she said sadly, "But don't worry, I've got a plan."

Shine gave her a skeptical look, like he didn't believe that anything she did would help.

"It'll work, I promise. Now, let's get back to Naruto." She said, and then they headed back to the cave.

* * *

Naruto leaned against the cave wall. He felt tired, though he wouldn't sleep until Sakura had come back. He glanced out the entrance to the cave and saw that the sun had set, leaving nothing except the light of the moon to guide her back through the forest.

"_I hope she's okay."_ He thought, eyes closed. They sprang open when he heard footsteps approach the cave.

"Sakura?" he called, hoping it was her.

Sabishii poked her head through the entrance. "Nope, just little old me." Sabishii said.

"Oh. Hey Sabishii." Naruto said glumly.

"Disappointed much?" she asked, sitting next to him.

"Huh? Oh, no not really. It's just that Sakura left a while ago and hasn't come back yet." Naruto said, glancing at the entrance again.

"Ah, I see," said Sabishii, "Well don't worry, she's with Sasuke right now."

"Really? Why?" asked Naruto.

Sabishii shrugged. "Don't know. He said he wanted to talk to her alone, so I left them and came back here."

"Okay then." He said.

"Hey, do you mind if I meditate?" asked Sabishii.

"Sure, go ahead." He said.

"Thanks." Sabishii said, standing up. She walked over to the other side of the cave. She sat down as Shine changed into his panther form behind her. She closed her eyes, crossed her legs, and leaned into the fur of Shine. She focused all her spirit chakra into releasing her spirit form from her body. When she felt like she succeeded, she opened her eyes and found that she was staring at her meditating human body.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way, it's time to find Ryu. Come on Shine." She said. The panther growled, already in his spirit form. She jumped onto his back and then they went off in search of Ryu. They traveled through the forest until they came upon the white dragon.

"Ryu!" called Sabishii, trying to get his attention.

"Hm?" said the dragon, turning to face her. "Ah, Sabishii, I thought I recognized that voice. My how you and Shine have grown." He said when she came close to him.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Listen, did you happen to take the soul of a girl named Sakura Haruno?" asked Sabishii, jumping right to the point.

"Always one to get right down to business, eh?" he chuckled. "Well, if you must know, yes. I took it not too long ago."

"I need you to give it back." She said.

"Oh and why's that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because Sasuke loves her and probably won't be able to handle her death." She explained quickly.

"Well I'd love to help you, but the terms of the binding were that if he said that he hates her, and she believes him, then she would die." Ryu said. "Which means that there's nothing much I can do."

"But he doesn't hate her!" exclaimed Sabishii. "He didn't know that she was there when he said it."

"It does not matter. As long as he said it and she believed him, she would be disposed of." Ryu said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go back home. The human world does put such a strain on me." He turned to leave, but was stopped by Sabishii.

"Wait!" she yelled. "Give him another chance, please."

He looked at her, blue crystals calculating what should be done. "Fine. What are the terms for this agreement?" he asked.

"The terms are as follows: if Sasuke shows that he doesn't hate Sakura, but indeed does love her, you must release her spirit. If he doesn't, her spirit is forever yours." Sabishii stated.

"Very well then. I accept the terms of your agreement." He shook her hand to seal the deal.

"Thank you, O great spirit Ryu." She said, bowing slightly.

"You are welcome, Lonely Child who walks with Death," he said, "Now, I better hurry back to where I left her, or else I may miss it." He said, and then left in a hurry.

"_Come on Sasuke," _thought Sabishii,_ "Don't blow your chance."_

* * *

Sasuke landed in the clearing, breathing heavily from the speed of the run that he just did. He scanned the area, looking for some sign of Sakura.

"_Where is she?"_ he thought, searching frantically. Relief washed through his body when he spotted her lying on the ground.

"Sakura!" he called as he quickly made his way over to her. She gave no indication that she heard him. He knelt down beside her and rolled her onto her back.

"Hey Sakura wake up." He said, gently shaking her shoulder. She still didn't respond.

"_Am I too late?"_ he thought. He grabbed her wrist and checked for a pulse. He felt nothing throb beneath his fingertips as he searched.

"_No."_ he thought, not wanting to believe it. He lowered his head to her chest to see if she was breathing. He heard nothing except the beating of his own heart.

"_No,"_ he thought,_ "No she can't be dead, she just can't be!"_ He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Her head lolled onto his shoulder, pink hair covering her face.

"Come on Sakura, you have to wake up!" he said, shaking her more harshly. Her head moved from side to side, almost like she was telling him no.

"Please Sakura, don't do this!" he yelled, pressing her closer to him. "Don't go!" She remained silent, her face holding the same expression as the one when he left her on the bench. Sasuke tightened his grip on her.

"_Why?"_ he thought angrily._ "Why do the people I need leave me? Why does everything I love just disappear in front me?!"_ A single tear fell from his eyes and landed on Sakura's cold cheek.

"Damn it Sakura, I need you!' he yelled, not caring who heard anymore. He had just lost someone close to him, someone he held closer than Naruto or Itachi. "I need you with me, I need you as my comfort, I need you as my strength, I need you because…because…because I love you!" he shouted, hoping that by some miracle she'd hear and come back to him. But he knew it was just useless an attempt on his part, and that he had lost her forever.

* * *

Ryu watched as the boy mourned the loss of Sakura with intelligent eyes. He heard as Sasuke proclaimed his love for her, all in what Sasuke thought was a futile attempt to bring her back.

He sighed. _"What Sabishii lacks in common sense, she makes up for in kindness and understanding that not even I can comprehend," _he thought silently, _"I better keep up my part of the deal ,lest I want her to skin me alive."_ He blew a gentle breeze through the clearing, returning the soul of Sakura Haruno to her body.

"_Guess I better tell her that it is done."_ He thought, and with that, left the boy to enjoy his reunion with his once dead love.

* * *

"_Where am I?"_ thought Sakura as she came back to her body. _"Why can't I move?"_ She then heard a voice telling her to please come back.

"_Sasuke?" _she thought. She struggled to open her eyes. When she did, she saw that Sasuke was holding her tightly against him, and that he kept saying something about her needing to wake up.

"Sasuke?" she asked, confused.

His eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice. "Sakura?" he asked, eyes staring at her disbelief. "You're alive?"

"I guess so. What happened?" she asked, still in a daze.

"I don't know. When I got here, you were on the ground dead." He replied. A wave of memories crashed into Sakura as she remembered all that had happened.

"_That's right. That spirit Ryu came to take me away because Sasuke said…" _her thoughts trailed off as she remembered why Ryu had come for her. She pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing as a slight pain shot through her.

"You alright?" asked Sasuke coolly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied. She then noticed that Sasuke's arms were still around her.

"Uh Sasuke?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he asked back.

"Could you move your arms? They're kinda in an awkward position around me." She said. In truth, though, it felt nice to have him hold her like that, even if it was unintentional. He quickly removed his arms from around her.

"Thank you Sasuke." She said.

"Hn." He replied as usual. Sakura looked at where she was. She blushed slightly as she realized that she was sitting in his lap. She moved her gaze to his face, waiting for him to tell her to get off, and saw that he looked like he had cried some.

"Are you okay Sasuke?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"Yeah. Why?" he asked coldly.

"No reason. It's just that you looked like you had just cried some." She said.

"Hn. I gave up that useless pastime a long time ago." He said. He saw that her face fell slightly, and he tried to reason with himself.

"_It's nothing. It had nothing to do with what I just said."_ He thought, trying to convince himself. He was failing miserably though.

"Sasuke?" she asked.

"What?" he snapped, hating to be disturbed while in thought.

"Is there something you need to tell me? Something concerning what happened?" she asked.

"There's nothing I need to tell you." He said coolly.

"Oh." She said, disappointed. She began to get off his lap, but stopped when she felt his hand grab her arm. She turned to face him, a questioning look in her eyes.

"There may be nothing to tell you, but there is something to show you." He said quietly.

"What do you mean Sas-" she started, but was cut off when Sasuke gently pressed his lips to hers. She blushed bright red as one thought kept running through her head.

"_He's kissing me!" _she thought. Slowly, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms found themselves wrapped around her waist, pressing her close to him. They pulled away from each other after a minute.

She leaned into him, embracing him warmly. "Thank you Sasuke." She mumbled sleepily.

"Hn." He said, stroking her hair. They sat together under the stars, each enjoying the other's prescence.

* * *

Sabishii sat, waiting for Ryu to report back to her about what had happened. She stood up when she saw the white dragon appear.

"Well?" she asked.

He sighed. "You were right. He truly does love her."

She smiled smugly. "Told you so."

"Yes you did. And now you must keep up your part of the deal." He said seriously.

She stood up straighter. "Of course."

He drew his head and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth, allowing a white jet of fire to engulf her. Sabishii stood still as the process took place.

"Sabishii Ko. After using the amount of spirit chakra you have used, it is now time to see how much human chakra you have left, and to see how much longer you are meant for this world." He said through the flames. She nodded. She then felt the fire begin to suck away some of her human chakra, increasing her dependency on the spirit chakra. And as quickly as it had started, it ended.

Sabishii leaned against a tree, breathing heavier than usual. _"It's always taken a lot out of me, but never this much."_ She thought._ "Has my time come already?"_

"So how much longer?" she asked when she caught her breath.

"You're human chakra levels are equal to that of the strongest ANBU, so you still have plenty of time left," he said casually, "Though you should watch how you use it more carefully."

She nodded. "Of course. Thank you Ryu." She said.

"Anytime Sabishii. Good bye for now ,Sabishii Ko." He said, and then disappeared.

She sighed. "Come on Shine. We better get back to our bodies." Shine growled in agreement as they headed back to the world of the living.

* * *

Naruto watched as Sabishii meditated. She was so still, however, that he thought she had fallen asleep.

"_I wonder if I should wake her up?" _he thought. Just when he decided to though, Sabishii opened her eyes and stretched.

"Hey you're awake," said Naruto, "I thought you fell asleep."

She yawned. "Nope. I was just lost deep in my thoughts."

"Heh, well it seems like you're tired now." Naruto pointed out.

She smiled. "Yeah, that happens. Guess I better turn in." she grabbed her pack and pulled out a blanket. She spread it next to Shine's body, her back to Naruto. Naruto noticed that that was the only thing she pulled out.

"Hey, where's your sleeping bag?" he asked.

"Don't have one. I was always on the move, and a sleeping bag just seemed like too much extra baggage." She said, smoothing out the blanket.

"But won't you get cold?" he asked.

"It's no big deal. It's nothing I can't handle." She said. She suddenly felt something warm placed on her shoulders. She turned and saw that Naruto was behind her, and that he had given her his jacket.

"You don't have to, you know." She said.

"I know," he said, "But I want to."

She smiled. "Thanks Naruto."

"No problem," he said, grinning. "Now, why don't you go to sleep? I'll wait for Sasuke and Sakura."

She nodded her head. "Okay." She lay down, using one of Shine's paws as a pillow. She closed her eyes and listened as Naruto returned to his spot to wait, only to stand up immediately because of Sasuke and Sakura's return.

She smiled. _"So you finally told her huh?"_ she thought. _"I'm proud of you Sasuke. You finally told her how you truly felt. The road to get to this point may have been long and hard, but you and Sakura held your ground until it came to the end. I just hope that you're able to handle the things that are to come. But then again, why wouldn't you be? After all…"_ she sighed, drifting off to sleep, with one last thought resounding through her mind.

"_A love like yours is a love meant to be."_

_**

* * *

**_

Dictionary of words that I ACTUALLY know the meaning to. (Aren't I amazing?)(don't answer that)

_**Sabishii-lonely**_

_**Shine-death (or sunshine in some cases)(don't ask me, ask Sedona)**_

_**Ko-child**_

_**Sakura-cherry blossom**_

_**Sasuke-ninja warrior (when I heard that one, I literally screamed "So THAT'S why it says Sasuke on that mountain on Ninja Warrior) (Japanese TV show. YOU MUST WATCH IT!!)**_

_**Naruto-fish cakes (kinda random, don't cha think?)**_

_**Uchiha-fan (does this mean Kishimoto is a fan of the show Ninja Warrior?)**_

_**Itachi-weasel (put that together with his last name and you get weasel fan! XD)**_

_**Haruno- spring field**_

_**Tobi-construction worker (you'll see why he's here in a minute)**_

_**Kechina- miserly (closest thing to miserable that I could find in my textbook)**_

_**Ryu- dragon**_

_**Tamishii- spirit**_

**_inu-dog_**

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well, I hope you liked it.

**Sedona: Like it? I LOVED IT!!**

**Sabishii/Shine: That was one clever ending.**

**Naruto: That was awesome! BELIEVE IT!**

**Sasuke:(kissing Sakura) Can I get back to you?**

**Me: Actually, it's time for the GROUP PHOTO!!**

**Sedona: Who's gonna be in it?**

**Me: EVERYONE MENTIONED IN THE AUTHOR NOTES!!**

**Sakura: Then who's going to take it?**

**Me: Oh yeah, good point. Kabuto, think up of a character for me.**

**Kabuto: Okay. (thinks up character)**

**Tobi: TOBI'S A GOOD BOY!!**

**Me: OH MY GOD IT'S TOBI!!(glomps) **

**Sedona: I'll get her off. (pries GG off) Now Tobi, be a good boy and take a picture of all of us.**

**Tobi: OKAY!!**

**Me: Alright, everyone get in position!**

**Everybody: RIGHT!!(get into them)**

**Me: Now, say DUCK-BUTT!!**

**Sasuke: NO!!**

**Me: YES!!**

**Sasuke: NO!!**

**Sedona: Guys! Tobi's about to take the picture!**

**Sasuke: Tell her to take it back!**

**Sedona: GG take it back.**

**Me: NEVER!!**

**Sasuke: THAT'S IT!! CHIDORI!!**

**Me: ICE STYLE: ICE DRAGON JUTSU!!**

**Tobi: SAY KUMQUAT!!(takes picture of battle and everyone running for cover)**

**Everybody: KNOCK IT OFF YOU TWO!!**

**Me: Fine. I won anyway. (points to Sasuke, who is tied up in the closet)**

**Sasuke: THIS ISN'T OVER!! NOT BY A LONG SHOT!!**

**Me: You're right. It isn't over. Because I'm thinking about making…. A SEQUEL!!**

**Sedona: REALLY?!**

**Me: Yep!**

**Sedona: Can I be in those author notes too?**

**Me: When I write them, yes.**

**Sedona: YAY!!**

**Me: Until then, enjoy any oneshots that I might come up with during my period of CRITICAL THINKING!! (I've just written a Christmas one. It's called "The Twelve Days of Narumas". Just in case you were wondering) Also, to all of you who are reading this now, you get a giant chocolate chip cookie for sticking with me! Oh, and I plan on fixing some mistakes in the story when I figure out where I made them. (that could take a while) Well, hope you enjoyed my first fic. Until the next story…**

**Everybody: JAA MATA!!**


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